The challenge of moving food products throughout the Basin is ongoing

and increasing.  This facilitated discussion will give an opportunity
to share your needs and discover opportunities for improving logistics
throughout the region. This conversation facilitated by Gerri Brightwell
and consist of a presentation by Rebecca Richards called – Where Our
Local Food Goes! Mapping the Distribution of Local Food Products in the
Columbia Basin.

“The local agriculture and food production sector has long struggled
to deliver products to local consumers in a cost-effective manner.
Barriers to distribution include geography, transportation costs and a
low-density consumer market which prevents individual food producers
from taking advantage of economies of scale in distribution. Currently,
it is also challenging to organize in order to achieve economies of
scale, which may make transportation more cost effective, because we do
not know where patterns of distribution already exist. The project
presented in this talk aims to solve this problem. We need detailed data
on distribution from individual food producers collected and presented
in a visual format so that patterns can be identified. Once we know
where density in transportation is already occurring, it will allow for
action to formalize and grow coordination efforts.”