Twelfth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Niche, small scale, sustainable alternative food producers often depend upon strong local food systems for business viability. Local food systems may be less developed in geographically isolated areas with a low population density or without established infrastructure. By examining the experiences of ten alternative food producers in a remote area of Australia I seek to understand how these producers create opportunities for their business and overcome constraints. This is coupled with a survey that examines consumers’ attitudes toward alternative food production, including attitudes toward purchasing from local food systems. I find that consumers perceive local food to have environmental and social benefits, to be interested in purchasing from local producers but to see it as difficult and inconvenient process. The alternative producers that I interviewed described their food production actions to be values driven and personally rewarding. They did, however, identify a number of practical difficulties to operating their business. This included logistics such as transport systems, infrastructure availability, government support and consumer understanding of the safety and benefits of local food. This study contributes to our understanding of what is needed to develop immature local food systems in remote areas.