JAFSCD peer-reviewed article by Soren Newman (Arrowleaf Consulting), Darin Saul (Arrowleaf Consulting), Steven Peterson (U of Idaho), Colette DePhelps (U of Idaho), Felix Haifeng Liao (U of Idaho), Robert Heinse (U of Idaho), Jodi Johnson-Maynard (U of Georgia), Jane Kolodinsky (Arrowleaf Consulting), and Hannah Smith (Arrowleaf Consulting)
Drawing from a survey of landowners and interviews with producers, resource managers, and others, the study reported in Scaling up local and regional food systems: Understanding and navigating opportunities and challenges in the Palouse region focused on the Palouse bioregion of the U.S. Northwest. It illustrates the complexity and potential of scaling up local and regional food systems in the context of land and water constraints, diverse stakeholders, and multiple, potentially conflicting land-use goals.
The results identify points of tension and complementarity between small-scale produce and large-scale dryland commodity systems. The researchers found that water supply constraints, rather than prevents, irrigated agricultural development in this region. Conflict, dialectic, and hybridization can help each scale become more environmentally and economically sustainable.
Corresponding author Soren Newman can be contacted at soren@arrowleafgroup.com
KEY FINDINGS
The researchers identified over 1,000 acres that landowners are interested in leasing or selling to small-acreage diversified farms.
Landowners expressed a diverse set of values and orientations to agriculture, which provides opportunities for different approaches.
Water-efficient irrigation practices and pond development hold promise for agricultural, hydrologic, and habitat improvement.
Short food and values-based supply chains for artisan grains can leverage and support multiple types of production in the Palouse bioregion, highlighting an area for continued compatible development.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
There is a continuing need to connect landowners with producers through farm link programs. Increasing landowner and seeker awareness and use of connecting programs (e.g., Idaho Farm Link) is an important strategy for facilitating this type of production for local and regional food systems.
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What might it look like to build local and regional food system capacity in places with farmland and water access constraints and competing land use goals? Researchers offer insights from the Palouse region of the U.S. Northwest. Read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.013
