This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ Author: Stevens Azima, Research Professional, Université Laval Local food systems are often viewed as alternatives to the global food system to stress their “promise of difference.
” Research supports several benefits associated with local food systems, although not without nuances and controversy. These benefits include their ability to reconnect consumers and producers, encourage consumption of fresh and nutritious products, support local producers and boost local economies. But many myths have also been debunked, such as the “local trap” — the belief that just because it is “local,” it is more ecological, just or ethical.
Poor salaries and underpaid labour Recent research questions the assumption that any alternative to industrial labour practices are better. Based on an analysis of job openings in alternative food systems in the United States during the 2010s, one study found that many of these jobs were underpaid and did not pay competitive salaries. The local food movement often argues that low conventional food prices do not include the “true cost” of food production.
But, if local food systems rely on poor salaries, they fail to address this issue as well. The issue of migrant farm labour is a complex one in North America. In the U.
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