Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

Local Food Production
Efforts to promote local food production began more than 30 years ago and continue to
grow today. Bloomington and Monroe County are fortunate to have some important
elements of a local food system already in place: a large cooperative food merchandiser
with three storefronts and many local suppliers, at least one commercial orchard, seasonal
wild mushroom harvests, heritage animal breeds, two local wineries, two local breweries,
well‐organized food pantries for the indigent, and the most vibrant farmers’ market in the
Kale at local community garden
state. During the past generation, the coordinated
efforts of private citizens, local business, and City
government have done a remarkably good job of
weaving together many small contributions of
food growing to create a fabric of considerable
breadth and diversity that has become a regional
economic attractor and an anchor for the city's
downtown. However, it would be vanity to claim
that this is any more than a small down payment
on a local food system.
The amount of locally‐grown food sourced even
through these many locally‐owned and operated
outlets is small in comparison to the need.
Americans consume an average of about one ton of
food per person per year, so Bloomington's population of about 70,000 eats about 70,500
tons of food per year, or 141,000,000 pounds. 224 Probably less than 2 percent of the food
consumed by city residents in 2009 will be grown within Monroe or its immediate
neighboring counties, and likely less than 5 percent will be produced within Indiana. 225
224 For comparison, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard serves about 1 percent of this volume to its clients each
year.
225 These estimates are based on observation of produce and other goods sold in city markets, and reasonable
extrapolation from published USDA statistics on agricultural production within the state and region. See
Indiana Farm Direct, Fact Sheet http://www.indianafarmdirect.com/resource_guide/agriculture_tour.php
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force 176