LVRC will conduct a study of the local food system for the Greater Lehigh Valley chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL-GLV). The purpose of this study is to examine the current supply of locally grown food in the region; the current demand in the Lehigh Valley for locally grown food; and explore practices and policies that would alter the current market outcomes.

The objectives of the LVRC assessment are to:

1) identify regional food production capacity including such measures as the number of farms, farm acreage, types of food production, and monetary value of food sold locally;

2) characterize consumption of locally grown food, including households, food distributors, and restaurants;

3) understand the decision making process of those stakeholders in the demand for and supply of locally grown food: how they make their decisions, on what time scales, and what market or policy variables may affect those decisions;

4) identify challenges to greater use of local food supply and consumption; and

5) identify best practices, market conditions, and policies that could increase the wealth of stakeholders in this region by addressing the obstacles for bringing together food suppliers and consumers.