Determinants of success for community-based food projects : case study of local initiatives in North Shore, BC

Abstract

There is an interest towards strengthening the local food system on North Shore, BC. This research addresses several community-based projects of the North Shore: food distribution by local agricultural producers, sustainable food growing and harvesting, and also education and/or advocacy. It concentrates, in particular, on identifying the success factors of these local food initiatives by performing a qualitative analysis through participant observation, interviews and literature analysis. Initial research finds several barriers local community-based food initiatives might face. They are related to a lack of access, lack of resources, poor governance structures, poor information sharing and uncooperative relationships between local food actors. I argue that although these barriers exist, there are certain favorable outcomes associated with these attempts to create a sustainable food system in North Shore, BC. Identifying these success factors will allow me to further develop recommendations to help improve present initiatives and to develop future ones. Recommendations for municipal governments, food system advocates, entrepreneurs, farmers and other interested parties are made at the end of this research.