The rural social economy, community food hubs and the market

Abstract

The nature of the UK rural social economy is described as an appropriate context in which rural food hubs develop. Through an empirical study of Local Industrial Strategies of the English Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), local area policies are found to provide a sympathetic social economy framework for such development. Rural food hubs are described. A distinction is drawn between producer and community hubs as a means of exploring the second of these more fully. Community hubs are found to address a number of market failures of the growth economy in the areas of community cohesion, voluntary effort, locality, the environment, food waste, health and food poverty. Despite some positive policy signals, dominant national economic policy in the areas of rural GVA productivity, the reform of the LEPs and a national rural strategy, is considered to limit the potential of rural community food hubs because of its ‘growth’ orientation. In this context, conclusions are drawn about survival strategies for such hubs.