The document defines key terms related to local agriculture systems and discusses how the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative uses a holistic framework to support local food systems. The framework focuses on diversifying specialty crop portfolios, integrating production and consumption within local areas, and developing self-sufficient local agriculture networks that improve community health and economic opportunities.

1. User’s Guide to
Local Agriculture Systems (LAS)
in a
USDA-Specialty Crop Research
Initiative (SCRI) Framework

2. Definition of Terms: Local Agriculture Systems
Local: As close to home as possible, meet
local needs, first, export surplus
Agriculture: Food, feed, fiber, fuel, floriculture,
forestry, and “farmaceuticals”
System: Life cycle, holistic, womb-to-tomb,
closed-loop, adaptive, resilient,
interdependent, nested ecosystems

3. Local Agriculture Systems and Metrics
System Metrics
• Local Foods • Zero Miles
– Cost / Healthy Calorie
• Green Energy • Zero Emissions / Effluents
– Cost / Kilowatt
• Distributed Manufacturing • Zero Landfill / Waste
– Asset Management
• Community Currency • Zero Leakage
– Medium of Exchange

4. USDA – Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Specialty Crop Examples
• Vegetables • Tomatoes
– Herbs
• Fruits • Brambles
– Dried Fruits
• Tree Nuts • Pecans
• Horticulture • Turfgrass
• Floriculture • Nursery Stock

5. USDA – Specialty Crop Research Initiative

6. USDA – Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Holistic
• 100% Participation
Portfolio Diversification and Expansion
• Season Extension Ecosystem Flows
• Physical, Virtual, Transactional
1,000 People in a Specific Area
• Areas are Non-Competitive and Networked
Place-Based Value Integration
• Local Ownership, Import Substitution (LOIS)
Calories / Dollar Spent on Local Foods
• 100% Participation

7. USDA – Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Consumption-to-Production
• Consumers • Calories / Dollar Spent on Local Foods
– 100% Participation
• Markets • 1,000 People in a Specific Area
– Areas are Non-Competitive and Networked
• Distribution • Ecosystem Flows
– Physical, Virtual, Transactional
• Processing • Place-Based Value Integration
– Local Ownership, Import Substitution (LOIS)
• Production • Portfolio Diversification and Expansion
– Season Extension

8. The Point of It All…
• Deliver affordable, healthy, quick, convenient, tasty,
safe calories through specialty crops in sufficient
quantity to meet basic survival needs for any and all
local residents
• Start and expand local businesses that create jobs,
make a profit, reinvest in the community, require
little or no subsidy for sustainability, and practice
environmental stewardship

9. Who Lives in Your Neighborhood?
• Know the demographics of each 1,000-person
geographic marketing block:
– Age
– Gender
– Ethnicity
– Religion
– Health risk
– Education
– Employment and Income
– Family

10. Know What Resources You Have
• Understand who owns • Where the assets are
– Public located
– Private – Mapping
• Assets – Layers
– Land – Ground truth
– Facilities – Realtime
– Equipment • How they fit into social,
business, and natural
ecosystems
– Modeling
– Scenario Planning
within a 1,000 Person Marketing Block!

11. Build a Portfolio of Business Opportunities
• Develop a portfolio of products, services, and
infrastructure from agricultural alternatives and value
chains that meets the needs of consumers in the
marketing block and sustains profitability of the
operation

12. Increase Capacity and Capabilities
• Utilize face-to-face, offsite, virtual, and onsite
forums to access critical information flow about
local agriculture systems, learn how to operate
them effectively, and receive credentialing,
credit, certification and licensure that attests to
competence

13. Take Action
• Exercise the network advantage: work openly, in
parallel, and collaboratively among customers,
colleagues, and suppliers to help others learn
and learn from others