AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IN COOKEVILLE: WHAT MAKES A LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY FLOURISH

ANDREW ELLISAPELLIS42@GMAIL.COM

RESEARCH QUESTION.

• WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE SMALL, BUT GROWING

LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM IN COOKEVILLE? WHAT MAKES A

SUCCESSFUL LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY?

METHODOLOGY

• COMPLETE IMMERSION IN THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM

• VOLUNTEERED ON TWO DIFFERENT FARMS

• QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH KEY PLAYERS IN THE LOCAL

FOOD MOVEMENT IN COOKEVILLE

WHAT IS EATING LOCAL?

• AMBIGUOUS TERM

• 100 MILES, STATEWIDE, REGIONAL OR NATIONAL?

50 km, 100 mi., 400 mi., and 1,500 mi. rad

ii around Nashville, Tennessee

LITERATURE REVIEW

• THREE EMPHASES IN THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT THAT CAN

LEAD TO PROBLEMS IN DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE FOOD

SYSTEMS (DELIND, 2009)

• FOCUS ON ENTIRE SYSTEM, NOT JUST PRODUCTION (DAHLBERG,

1993)

• A SUCCESSFUL SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM PROMOTES SOCIAL

JUSTICE, EQUAL ACCESS, CREATES JOBS, AND BUILDS SOCIAL

TIES (FEENSTRA, 2002)

LITERATURE REVIEW

• SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESS IN DIRECT AFRICULTURAL MARKET

SETTINGS (HINRICHS, 2000)

KEY PLAYERS IN THE MOVEMENT

• FARMERS, CONSUMERS, BUSINESS OWNERS

• MINIMAL BACKGROUND IN AGRICULTURE

• A DESIRE TO SEE INCREASED ACCESS TO FRESH HEALTHY

FOODS WHILE SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY.

WHY BUY LOCAL?

• RD: “…LARGELY FRESHNESS, QUALITY, TASTE, IN TERMS OF THE

CONSUMERS POINT OF VIEW….AS FAR AS ENERGY IS

CONCERNED ABOUT EVERY BITE OF FOOD YOU TAKE HAS

TRAVELED ABOUT 1,500 MILES. MOST OF THE FRUITS AND

VEGETABLES THAT YOU FIND AT THE GROCERY STORE HAVE

BEEN IN TRANSIT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS…”

• BB: ”PHYSICAL HEALTH, ABSOLUTELY. I DON’T BELIEVE MOST OF

THE FOOD WE EAT IN THE STORES IS ACTUALLY FOOD, AND I EAT

A LOT OF IT, DON’T GET ME WRONG, I’M NOT A PURIST BY ANY

CHANCE…MAKING PEOPLE REALIZE THAT JUST BECAUSE

SOMETHING IS CHEAPER, DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER…CHEAP

FOOD AT A STORE DOESN’T MAKE IT GOOD FOOD…”

WHY BUY LOCAL?

• RL: WELL, YOU KNOW, STAYING WITHIN THE LOCAL ECONOMY IS

IMPORTANT, THE BENEFIT IS THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH

THOSE PEOPLE. THE QUALITY THE FRESHNESS, KNOWING WEATHER

THEY ARE PUTTING PESTICIDES ON THE FOOD OR NOT. JUST

KNOWING WHAT GOES INTO THE FOOD SO THAT WHEN I SAY, WHEN I

TELL MY CUSTOMERS WHAT GOES INTO THE FOOD I KNOW THAT IT’S

TRUE.

LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT: A GROWING SOCIAL MOVEMENT.

• RD: “WE’RE BEHIND THE CURVE A LITTLE BIT…THERE’S NOT REALLY

AN ORGANIZED EFFORT AT THIS POINT LIKE THERE IS IN THE

NASHVILLE AREA WITH THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT, BUT THAT’S

BEGINNING, THE TALK HAS BEHUN AND THERE ARE KEY PLAYERS

WHO ARE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO PLACE, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE

CONNECTED TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, SOME OF THE LOCAL

RESTAURANT AND GROCERY FOLKS, AND JUST THE PUBLIC ITSELF…

I WOULD PREDICT THAT WITHIN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS

THERE WILL BE A REAL VIBRANT [LOCAL] FOOD MOVEMENT…”

• JC: “YEAH, I DO [SEE THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT GROWING IN THIS

AREA]… WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE MARKET NOW IS REALLY

GOOD… I THINK PEOPLE JUST DON’T KNOW THERE’S ANYTHING

THERE ON SATURDAY MORNING.”

LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT: A GROWING SOCIAL MOVEMENT.

• ND: “JUST BEING AT THE FARMERS MARKET SINCE BACK IN THE DAY WHEN I

WAS WITH TECH IT REALLY, THERE REALLY IS A BIG DIFFERENCE NOW, I MEAN

THAT WAS PROBABLY 4-5 YEARS AGO AND THERE’S MORE VENDORS NOW,

THAT I’VE NOTICED. PEOPLE AT OUR NEW MARKET PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO

THE PRESENTATION OF IT, MAKING IT LOOK GOOD… THERE DEFINITELY IS, IT’S

STARTING TO BECOME MORE SO IN COOKEVILLE A PUSH FOR LOCAL FOOD…

IT’S SORT OF THE OLDER, MAYBE TECH PROFESSOR TYPE GROUP THAT HAVE

THAT INTEREST. I THINK IT STARTED THERE AND MAYBE, HOPEFULLY MOVES

TO THE STUDENT BODY AT TECH.”

• BB: “…IT BREAKS DOWN SOCIAL BARRIERS THAT I THINK ARE MOSTLY

ARTIFICIAL BARRIERS. IIT CROSSES ECONOMIC LINES, POLITICAL LINES, SOCIAL,

IT IS IT’S OWN THING AND PEOPLE FROM EVERY PERSUASION COME TOGETHER

AROUND FOOD. PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE NO CONTACT,

WOULDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT, THEY ARE VERY UNITED IN THEIR

DESIRE TO HACE THAT SYSTEM AND IT’S REALLY COOL.”

FARMER’S RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER FARMERS

• BB: “WE ALL RELY ON EACH OTHER. IF THEY’RE SHORT, I MEAN

WE’VE ALL DONE IT, SOMEBODY’S SHORT ON CSA THEY COME

OVER AND GO HEY I CAN’T MAKE WHAT I NEED FOR CSA THIS

WEEK, WHAT CAN YOU SELL ME….THERE’S NO ONE MAN

MARKET”

• JC: “…IT’S SORT OF A COOPERATIVE. OF COURSE WE’RE ALL

COMPETING, BUT WHAT I’VE NOTICED IS THAT PEOPLE DON’T

JUST GO TO ONE PERSON AND BUY EVERYTHING THEY NEED,

THEY KIND OF SPREAD IT OUT BECAUSE IT’S PART OF THE

MOVEMENT. I TRY TO HELP THE OTHER GUYS AS MUCH AS I CAN.

I DON’T WANT TO WATCH THEM SIT THERE BY THEMSELVES… IF

ONE PERSON’S NOT DOING GOOD THAT KIND OF HURTS.”

RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS.

• BB “NO ONE IS GOING TO COME TO THE MARKET TO SEE ONE GUY, I

MEAN THEY’RE ALL THERE TO SEE MULTIPLE PEOPLE…I MEAN THERE’S

PLENTY OF MY CUSTOMERS, I’VE HAD YOU KNOW, MY TRUCK’S BROKEN

DOWN AND THEY SHOW UP TO SEE IF THEY CAN HELP CARRY MY STUFF

TO MARKET.”

• JC: SUPPORT FROM THE CONSUMERS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

FOR ME. “I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY LONG AND IT WOULD BE FOR

NOTHING WITHOUT PEOPLE WHO WANT IT… IT’S COOL TO SEE ALL

THOSE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE WANTING THE SAME

AWESOME THING. PEOPLE COME IN AND THEY STAY AND THEY TALK TO

THE FARMERS AND THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER. IT’S NOT LIKE GOING

INTO A 7ELEVEN SNAGGING WHAT YOU NEED AND LEAVING… THE LAST

ONE [FARMERS MARKET] I WAS AT I WAS ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH

EVERYBODY.

CONCLUSION.

• THE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT IS STEADILY

GROWING IN COOKEVILLE.

• BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS ARE BECOMING

INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN LOCALLY PRODUCED

FOOD AND GOODS.

• THE FOCUS OF THE MOVEMENT IS ON BUILDING

EQUAL ACCESS, SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY

AND BUILDING SOCIAL TIES AMONG THE FARMING

COMMUNITY AND WITH THE CUSTOMER BASE.