Local Food Systems : Markets, Trends and Federal Programs

Sales of locally produced foods comprise a small, but growing, part of U.S. agricultural sales. The U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) estimates that farm-level value of local food sales totaled about $4.8 million in 2008, about 1.6% of the U.S. market for agricultural products. An estimated total of 107,000 farms were engaged in local food systems, about 5% of all U.S. farms. This book provides background on local and regional food systems, focusing on available data on direct-to-consume...