IP-58A: Food and Agriculture: Consumer Trends and Opportunities: An Overview

The Food System and You Agriculture is the underlying foundation of our food system. We use the term food system to describe the interdependent relationships among food production, distribution, and consumption. Understanding the relationship between natural resources, societal and cultural factors, and technology help us understand the food system. Figure 1 illustrates the complexity inherent in a local food system. Growing concern about the loss of farms and farmers is prompting consumers and agricultural leaders to ask more questions about the future health and viability of our food system. Our food system—once simple, direct, and community-based—has become increasingly complex, indirect, and globally influenced. Many of us do not understand the process by which food reaches our dinner plates. Our dynamic food system is more than just our home vegetable gardens, the corner grocery, restaurants, roads, waterways, or farm landscapes. It includes everything from seeds to supermarkets. Production agriculture, as well as vertically coordinated processors, wholesalers, brokers, merchandisers, retailers, and financial institutions, are part of our food system. The system is also influenced by public policies. Food and Agriculture: Consumer Trends and Opportunities