Is 'local food' sustainable?: Localism, social justice, equity and sustainable food futures

Abstract

Intensive agri-industrial food systems in facing old and new sustainability challenges are now confronted with emergent 'alternatives', particularly local food systems, that pose transformational pathways for strong sustainability. But important questions are raised about the role local food will play in the creation of sustainable food futures, including: Are local food systems sustainable? Can they offer a socially just replacement to agri-industrial systems, or will they simply replicate the problems of the past or create new ones? These questions, in turn, are underpinned by the fundamental question: What exactly does 'sustainability' mean in the context of food futures?