The lay of the land

The Canadian Co-operative Association conducted this research to determine the overall breadth of the local food movement, the number of co-operatives involved in local food, and the umbrella organizations that work to assist these initiatives. [...] A recent publication, “From the Ground Up,” provides in-depth information on local food systems and defines a food system as “the broad term for everything required to bring us food and deal with the food waste.”8 The Lay of the Land aims to present Canada’s local food initiatives in an accessible fashion in order to outline the nature of Canada’s local food movement. [...] The Lay of the Land: Local Food Initiatives in Canada Page 3 Research Methodology This research collects and presents the number of local food initiatives on a national scale; therefore, the methodology is largely quantitative in nature. [...] The Lay of the Land: Local Food Initiatives in Canada Page 6 Section One: Local Food Initiatives in Canada This section outlines the distribution and typology of local food initiatives in Canada. [...] The Lay of the Land: Local Food Initiatives in Canada Page 12 3. Grocery Stores Retail grocery stores have the capacity to provide a consistent supply of local food to the consumer in a single locality.