Towards a geography of local and locality food activity in Scotland

David Watts, Institute for Rural Research, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen

Cesar Revoredo-Giha and Philip Leat, Food Marketing Research Team – Land Economy Research Group, Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), Edinburgh, UK

It has been argued that local food systems (LFS) – production-consumption networks within which food travels a relatively short distance between producer and consumer – can make a positive contribution towards more sustainable food chains. LFS can reduce ‘food kilometres’, thereby potentially reducing atmospheric pollution from road transport. Buying food from local retailers and producers can have local economic benefits, as more of the value added to food can circulate, and be retained, within a given geographical area, thereby assisting the sustainability of primary production and food distribution. LFS may also contribute to the vitality of town centres, where smaller retailers tend to be located, as well as the vigour of rural communities, particularly in remoter areas, through helping to provide access to food.  Lastly, it can be argued that LFS can promote local social interaction.

However, while there are a number of well-known local food initiatives in Scotland (such as Forth Valley Food Links and Lochaber Larder) there is relatively little evidence on LFS at the national level.  The need for such evidence is likely to grow with the advent of a national food policy for Scotland within which LFS may be given some prominence. This paper, which arises from a programme of research into sustainable farming systems funded by the Scottish Government, begins to address this lack of evidence through an examination of the geography of enterprises claiming to be involved in the production, processing and / or retailing of local foods, using data from secondary sources. The paper has four objectives. First, it will outline the Scottish policy context for LFS.  Secondly, it will map the distribution of local and locality food activity in Scotland. Thirdly, it will examine some of the factors that may be associated with that geography. Lastly, it will set its findings within a British context by comparing its data with those from studies conducted in England and Wales.