Browsing by Subject "Food system"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Farm to Fridge: The Exploration of Postharvest Refrigeration Needs and Opportunities Among Minnesota Produce Farmers and Rural Grocery Stores
    (2023-12) Olive, Ren
    To grow more farms and support local food systems the infrastructure needs of beginning and small/mid-size farmers warrants attention. Postharvest refrigeration is known to provide benefits to farmers, buyers, and consumers via improved food safety, longer sales windows, and reduced food waste. This research explores the feasibility of a "farm-to-fridge" model, exploring the potential for produce farmers to lease or rent existing cold storage space in rural grocery stores situated in communities with populations of less than 2,500. To fill gaps in knowledge, the cold storage and refrigeration needs of a sample of beginning and small/mid-size Minnesota produce farmers and the availability of cold storage in rural grocery stores are assessed. Cold storage is positioned within the broader context of infrastructure and critical support for local food system development through a concise overview of U.S. local food system development. Data collection methods used include a survey of 78 Minnesota produce farmers, interviews with four beginning produce farmers, and a survey of 138 rural grocery stores (located in communities with less than 2,500 people). Results show that while a desire for increased cold storage is clearly articulated by both beginning and seasoned Minnesota produce farmers, surveyed farmers and grocers were less certain about using shared cold storage space through the “farm to fridge” model due to limitations in space at the stores and logistical barriers. This research utilizes a mixed method approach and applies the framework of sustainability (or the nexus of prosperous community, economics, and environment) to analyze findings from data collection. Three themes of analysis emerged, which include the impact of refrigeration on perceived business success as it relates to 1) Social/Community: Lifestyle and Interactions with the Community, 2) Economics: Profitability of the Farm, and 3) Environment: Farm Practices and Food Waste. Recommended areas for future research and action are outlined into three categories that include changes in public funded programs, building trust between Extension and beginning and small/mid-size produce farmers, and strengthening buying relationships between produce farmers and rural grocery stores.
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    Interdisciplinary, Cross-Supply Chain Approaches to Food Systems Improvement
    (2020-10) Ringling, Keagan
    The field of nutrition is rapidly evolving into a new paradigm characterized by the complex, adaptive, wicked challenges faced by food systems professionals. Systems approaches are required to manage the complex issues at the intersection of the food system, the environment, and human health. Despite these complex, interlinked challenges, nutrition research and training remain siloed. Given the current landscape of systems problems, new systems-based approaches to research and training are required. Similar to the nutrition ecology framework, these approaches are requisite to the successful management of the health, environmental, economic and societal implications based on complex food system actions. In that vein, this work provides a framework, along with examples of hands-on experiential learning opportunities within a nutrition graduate program focused on systems approaches in nutrition. This is demonstrated through interdisciplinary collaborations across the supply chain and food system. First, we seek to understand supply chain barriers to whole grain availability and access in restaurants. Then, we shift focus to the development of a new sustainable crop, pennycress. Here, we collaborate upstream in the supply chain with plant geneticists to identify genetic targets to improve the quality of raw materials. Then we collaborate with economists to model production economics. Overall, this approach mixes adapted socio-ecological, biological, and economic analyses to provide a more holistic perspective to food systems development. Then we discuss the role of the land grant university in developing sustainable food systems, and we discuss learnings from our interdisciplinary, systems training approach. Finally, based on the work as a whole, we provide recommendations regarding a three-step process to catalyze future systems approaches in nutrition.