Abstract: A sustainable food system is a complicated and nuanced idea.
Communities across the US are using food system assessments (FSAs) to come up with their
own vision of a sustainable food future. FSAs gather together information about the entire
food system; from production, through processing and distribution, then on to the
consumption of food and ending in the disposal. They also address ... read morethe economic resilience,
social responsibility and environmental impact of each of these links in the chain. At
their best, FSAs use all of this information to plan for the future of the local/regional
food system. However, the picture of the food system that each FSA presents and the issues
it highlights varies from one region to the next. Even if FSAs present a remarkable vision
for the future, many do not recommend concrete measures that can be taken to reach their
goals. FSAs conducted in the future should adopt more of the elements of traditional
planning practices to ensure that the goals they espouse are actionable and will help
eventually lead to carrying out their vision of a sustainable food system.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2012.
Submitted to the Dept. of Urban and Environmental Policy and
Planning.
Advisor: Justin Hollander.
Committee: Hugh Joseph.
Keywords: Sustainability, Agriculture, and Urban planning.read less