That’s a wrap: Seven-year deep dive into Northeast food system advances understanding of regional potential

All told, team members conducted dozens of analyses and have presented their processes and findings at more than 100 venues and in over 20 peer-reviewed publications, with additional manuscripts and presentations planned for release later this year.

Some key findings that have emerged include:

• A small number of crops occupy a large portion of the 27 million acres of farmland in the Northeast. From 2001 to 2010 roughly 35 percent of the region's farmland was devoted to non-food crops or was fallow. Roughly 65 percent contributed directly to the food supply. More than half of that was devoted to feed and forage crops for animals, while less than 10 percent was devoted to crops eaten by people.
  
• The Northeast produces more animal-derived foods than plant-derived foods. For example, the region produced enough dairy and eggs to meet 76 percent and 71 percent of regional demand, respectively, and enough fruits and vegetables to meet 18 percent and 26 percent of demand. (These findings illustrate how regional production compares to regional demand overall. It is not meant to imply that what was produced in the region was actually consumed in the region.)
• Supply chain case studies, which looked at 11 independent supermarkets and traced how certain foods made their way from grower to store, revealed that supply chain activities for these foods add significant economic value to the region, even if the food is not produced in the Northeast.
• Economic demand is the largest contributor to the number of supermarkets in an area; that is, large stores shy away from areas where demand is not sizable. All except one of the food stores that participated in the study are independent supermarkets that have the capacity to cater to customers in a way that many national chain stores cannot. Some are losing market share to niche chain stores, dollar stores and superstores, and several closed during the life of the project.
• The concept of regional compared to local food systems is ambiguous and amorphous to most consumers. There are opportunities to grow support for regional food system expansion that do not rely on widespread consumer appreciation of the benefits of regional approaches.
• A study using three different datasets to characterize differences in purchasing patterns across income levels and rural-urban status of Northeast food shoppers revealed useful insights, including: "rural residents' greater likelihood of shopping at superstores than urban households; food purchasing category differences for race and ethnicity, income and education but not for urban/rural; and children in the household leading to greater purchasing of any [market basket items]." (Palmer et al., forthcoming.)

Beyond their research accomplishments, project members achieved multiple education and outreach objectives, including the development of an experiential internship program, new university courses and the incorporation of new material into existing courses, and a national eXtension Community of Practice on Local, Community and Regional Food Systems. The project organized multiple events that engaged stakeholders around project findings, including a national conference, six community-based events, a community readiness study, and a two-day workshop for project researchers, store owners and community leaders to share their perspectives with one another.

While the project has formally concluded, team members continue to write up results and produce outreach materials that will be available on the EFSNE website for the foreseeable future.