Reconceptualizing Philadelphia’s Food System

Generally defined, a food system is the network of mechanisms that produce, prepare, distribute, consume, and dispose of food. Even in the most basic of understandings, food systems are complex and interrelated, shaped by land, climate, policy, and people, and directly impacting the health and wellness of communities, the local economy, and regional ecosystems.

According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Greater Philadelphia Food System study, the Philadelphia region’s population “consumes most of what is grown in or near the metropolitan area, does not have enough land to meet the demand, and is increasingly dependent on food sources farther away.”1 Further challenges in our current food system include hazardous growing practices that rely on chemicals and monocultures, extreme food waste, and labor exploitation.

How, where, and by whom food is produced, prepared, distributed, consumed, and disposed of cannot be considered in isolation. To nurture a more just local food system and improve each of these steps, the entire food system must be considered, and urban agriculture has an important role to play. Illustration of traditional food system Image courtesy of UC Davis Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program