BRIEFING: The impact of the ‘buy local’ movement on the global food industry

In October 1999, the global population reached six billion people. Current agricultural, food production, processing and distribution systems stretch to provide sustenance for these numbers. But by the year 2020, the world's population will explode to an estimated 7.5 billion. Current agriculture food systems, including rangelands, croplands and marine fisheries, average an annual global yield rate of approximately 2.449%, while researchers estimate the rate must reach 4% to satisfy the world's ever-growing population. Because of increasing demands on natural resources and agriculture systems associated with the rising world population, producers, retailers, researchers and consumers alike must engage in sustainable agriculture practices. In the global economy the distance a food travels from the origin of production to the point of sale, called "food miles", is steadily increasing. In contrast to the proliferation of these vast "food miles" is the local-foods movement, a grassroots effort to encourage consumers to think about where and how their food is produced.