Farm-to-Table
Natalie Colfer, Ryan Schmidt, Isabelle Timmer
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What is Farm-to-Table?
What is Farm-to-Table?
Farm-to-Table is a movement that focuses on people consuming more natural, organic, and locally produced foods rather than imported foods. Some things that the movement wants to succeed at is increasing food security, reducing distance, improving relationships in the community, building self-reliance, and creating more sustainability. Farm-to-Table can be seen at restaurants or at farmers markets within communities around the world. As time goes on the Farm-to-Table movement has become more popular, because many people are now prioritizing their health more than in the past and want to move away from consuming large amounts of processed foods.
Why is it important?
Why is it important?
Farm-to-Table is important because it helps people to better understand where their food is coming from, how far it travels, the work behind it, and much more. It is important to understand these things so that individuals can be more aware of their impact on the environment when buying foods. Farm-to-table has very low impact on the environment and it helps to build stronger relationships within communities. Locally bought produce and other foods can ensure that it is being produced and grown ethically. Since the farms are not as large, employers tend to care for employees better than large companies and producers do.
What issues does it solve?
What issues does it solve?
Farm-to-Table helps to solve issues that impact the environment and people. It helps to reduce the distance that food has to travel to get to one's table for consumption. With reduced travel of food this means that the carbon footprint is minimized. Another way farm-to-table helps the environment is that most of the time less packaging and refrigeration is needed to keep produce fresh. Farm-to-table is also organic, so no harsh chemicals are used to grow food which in turn benefits the environment and the consumers. It also helps to mitigate ethical issues that occur within large companies around the world.
How does it impact us?
Local Scale
Local Scale
Locally grown food is way for citizens to engage with their community and create a system of food that supports their local economy and farmers. This reduces the distance food has to travel to reach their table therefore reducing carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Investing into locally grown food and the farms they come from can also create more fertile soil.
National Scale
National Scale
In order to achieve the goals of farm-to-table on a national scale, a collective effort would be required of the entire country. We would have to stray from the wasteful industrial agriculture/food system that the United States is reliant on- and opt for more local, sustainable options instead. Mindfully shopping and eating would look like buying produce from farmers markets or participating in CSAs, and eating at restaurants that also purchase food locally. If this was accomplished on a national scale, it would have the potential to reduce the country's major food waste issue, and other problems associated with industrial agriculture and mass consumption.
Global Scale
Global Scale
On a global scale the farm-to-table movement is harder to achieve. The issue is the biggest at the global level, since farm-to-table focuses on buying locally and organically. The farther food travels the more negative impacts it has on the environment. As well as, the more miles food travels, the more disconnect between consumer and producer. If farm-to-table was achieved globally it would help to benefit communities around everywhere in the world. It would also help to increase the food security in countries that struggle with food insecurity and poverty. This would eventually lead to stronger community relationships, support, and resilience.
Farm Club is a stunning example of what a farm-to-table style restaurant can look like. It is a five-tiered business located just a few miles from Traverse City, MI that includes a farm, restaurant, market, bakery, and brewery. This organization's mission and practices strongly reflect the triple bottom line of sustainability: Environment, Equity, and Economy.
Click here to learn more about Farm Club through interviewing the restaurant's General Manager, Jazz Overholt.
(Note: Grand Valley State University also as a Farm Club student organization, and you can learn more about them here. This organization is in no way related or connected.)
Grand Rapids Fishery
Grand Rapids Fishery
The Grand Rapids Fishery is a seafood restaurant located right outside of Grand Rapids. They take pride in sourcing their fish from a credible local fishmonger and implementing the Farm-to-Table movement into their restaurant. On their website the Grand Rapids Fishery states that their fishmonger focuses on carrying the most sustainable product around. They ensure the quality of their fish to customers by knowing where their fish is coming from. So if you are in the mood for fish & chips, make sure to get it locally and sustainably from Grand Rapids Fishery.
Click here to check out the Grand Rapids Fishery
Eighth Street Farmers Market
Eighth Street Farmers Market
The Eighth Street Farmers Market is located in downtown Holland. They offer fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats, flowers, and much more. With dozens of local vendors, the Eighth Street Farmers Market is a great example of farm-to-table. At this farmers market you can buy fresh, organic, and local produce and goods, which helps the community grow and create better relationships. The Eighth Street Market is a great place to get foods and goods while giving back to your community. Local farmers and food producers can become vendors at the market, as well as street performers who want to share their talent with people, creating a wonderful atmosphere within the community.
Click here to check out the Eighth Street Farmers Market
This book contains stories and advice to creating a lifestyle that is based in locally sourced food. Click here to see a summary of some of these pointers from the book that most relate to farm-to-table practices. Click on the image to learn more from the publisher.
Current Offerings at GVSU
Current Offerings at GVSU
If you are a student that lives on or off campus, these are current resources that are available now if you need assistance with accessing meals or fresh food, click the links to learn more about these offerings.
Implementation Plan
The farm-to-table movement wishes to accomplish very similar goals as the SAP in regards to social accountability, fiscal responsibility, and environmental stewardship. The SAP should be taking advantage of what this movement has to offer in order to further its aims of connecting sustainable food to students and the local community. In its current form, the SAP does not have the physical capacity to truly harness the full potential of the farm-to-table movement. In order to change this, we propose an expansion to the SAP in a sequential process that culminates with the construction of a new building to serve as the homestead for GVSU's farm-to-table program. The steps we have in our timeline create momentum towards this goal of creating a culture on GVSU's campus that values food that is locally grown and produced. Important steps in this process are bringing food to students in various ways through farm shares, mobile farm markets, and eventually a facility on the property of the Sustainable Agriculture Project. Below is a building proposal for such a facility taken from "A Facility for Leadership and Innovation at the Sustainable Agriculture Project" that we feel encapsulates the goals of our implementation plan:
Timeline
Timeline
Budget
Budget
With the cost of constructing a new facility estimated to be about $313 per square foot (BigRentz 2023), an 800 square foot facility would cost approximately $250,400. We will round our facility budget up to $300,000 to account for any other expenses that may accrue. Once the facility is built, expenses would drop significantly for simple upkeep and maintenance costs. Other expenses such as fuel and transportation costs would vary depending on how much gas is per gallon and how far is needed to travel. However, a rough estimate would be around $20 of fuel per week and volunteers helping to transport. Seeds and transplants costs would also vary with the amount of space grown and types of plants being grown. An additional $43,000 would be needed for a SAP mobile farm market vehicle, totaling our budget at $343,000 before transportation costs.
Triple Bottom Line
People
People
Through our research and considering farm-to-table style restaurants and markets, its clear that these programs not only support communities, but create them. They foster an established group of people and systems devoted to healthy living, and equitable access to fresh, nourishing food.
Planet
Planet
When looking at the planet aspect of the Triple Bottom Line we look at the environmental impact that an organization has on the planet. For the concept of Farm-to-Table we see that when food travels a shorter distance and consumers are aware of where their food comes from, as well as if their food is sustainably grown and distributed this has a positive impact on the environment and planet. If the SAP implemented this plan of providing produce to more local organizations and restaurant's this would benefit the environment.
Profit
Profit
While profit is not the goal of implementing a farm-to-table program at GVSU, such a program would have positive effects on the local economy. The SAP would likely make more revenue on harvests due to an increased engagement with their produce through food packages, revamped markets, and eventually the farm-to-table facility. The additional profits could be put back into the SAP to continue to improve its facilities and further its sustainability goals.
Works Cited
Works Cited
About the Fishery. n.d. 2023. <https://www.grandrapidsfishery.com/about>.
Advanced Biotech. “The History of the Farm to Table Movement.” Advanced Biotech, 8 Mar. 2022, www.adv-bio.com/the-history-of-the-farm-to-table-movement/.
Amy McFarland, Yumiko Jacobcic. A Facility for Leadership and Innovation at the Sustainable Agriculture Project. Proposal. Allendale: Self-Published, 2022.
BigRentz. 2023 Commercial Construction Cost per Square Foot in the US. 2023 October 6.
Conners, Diane. Shared Abundance: Lessons in Building Community around Locally Grown Food. Ed. Chris Olson. Traverse City: Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, 2023.
Traylor, Richard. “Farm to Table: A Movement for Local and Organic Food.” WebstaurantStore, www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/4336/farm-to-table-meaning.html#:~:text=What%20Is%20Farm%20to%20Table,country%20or%20around%20the%20world. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.
Market Goods. n.d. 2023. <http://www.hollandfarmersmarket.com/>.
“Why Restaurants Focusing on Farm-to-Table Are Thriving.” Value for Money Food Ordering System, Restolabs Team, www.restolabs.com/blog/farm-to-table-restaurant-concept. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
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