Local Food - Case Studies and Examples

"How Strong Towns Inspired a Local Food Movement"

Andy Diaz—founder at Urban Acres in Peoria, Illinois—shares how you can use local food to build community in your own neighborhood, including how to find the right investment for your neighborhood, how to grow your efforts incrementally, and why cities like Peoria and beyond need more $1,000 heroes (not $1 million heroes).

"How a Beloved Corner Store in South Los Angeles Addressed Food Deserts (and Much More)."

Visit the Hyde Park neighborhood in South Los Angeles and you’ll find the usual culprits of a food desert, such as fast-food chains and gas stations. But enter Kelli Jackson’s corner store—Hank’s Mini Market—and you’ll discover how cities can address food deserts without forgoing future tax revenue.

"Why Grocery Co-ops Build Strong Towns and How to Start Your Own"

Jacqueline Hannah—assistant director at the Food Co-op Initiative—shares how you can start a neighborhood grocery co-op in your town, including how to pitch the vision to community members and elected officials, how to translate your enthusiasm into action, and how the Food Co-op initiative can help through every step of the process.

"This is How Local Food Systems Shine Amid COVID-19"

As COVID-19 laid bare the fragility of centralized food systems, this LA-based nonprofit demonstrated how local food systems integrated in their communities can respond to meet the needs of their neighbors.

"Farming Nuns Create Community in Western New York"

"Creating Strong Communities through Local Food"

An interview with Molly Rockamann of EarthDance Organic Farm School, about how the farm got started, where local food intersects with building Strong Towns, and much more.