The Development of Local Food Strategies in the UK: Pathways to Sustainability

The question, 'What has led some local councils to develop good sustainable local food strategies and what have these entailed?’ came out of the “Developing skills, knowledge and attitudes” distilled map and evolved out of a discussion on how a lack of expertise and time for marketing on the part of farmers leads to a lack of awareness among potential consumers. The panel saw harnessing the resources of local councils as one way to break the loop of farmers’ lack of marketing options and consumers’ lack of awareness and were interested to investigate the circumstances that lead councils to develop effective strategies. This report summarises the findings from case studies of four local councils which have developed or are developing local food strategies. It provides information about the motivations of local councils to get involved, the mechanisms of action available to the councils, the types of organisations that have been effective in catalysing local food strategies and partnerships, and the challenges that have been faced.