Textbox: Creating law and policy for resilient urban food systems

Abstract

In the field of ecology, resilience describes an ecosystem's ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from disaster or change. Greater biodiversity brings greater ecosystem resilience, and, like ecosystems, urban and regional food systems are more resilient when a diverse network of producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers interact within a robust local and regional economy. However, small-scale food businesses all along the chain of production face significant legal, regulatory, and financial barriers to their success. Policymakers have the opportunity to assess the range of roadblocks to local food, and cultivate a legal landscape for thriving urban food systems. Such policy changes will allow communities to rapidly transition towards greater food sovereignty, economic abundance, and resilience.