Food Systems

Local Food from Farm to School: Investigating the Skidmore Dining Hall's Local Partnerships

Maranda Duval and Jesse Moy (2011)

The Skidmore College Dining Hall has joined the local food movement by forming partnerships with nearby farmers, processors, and distributors. In this study, we investigate the history and effectiveness of these local partnerships and make recommendations on how to expand and improve them in the future.

Understanding the Saratoga Springs Local Food System: An Analysis of its Local Food Markets

Erin Donnellan and Kate Ito (2011)

Increasing the consumption of local foods requires a detailed understanding of how local food markets connect producers, distribution outlets, and consumers. Our analysis reveals that there is not a single market for local foods, but rather a set of related but distinct local food markets. Increasing local foods requires a multi-faceted approach that reflects this complexity.

Food Matters: Increasing the Availability of Local Food to Low Income Populations in Saratoga County Through Community Organizations

Rebecca Drago and Laura Fralich (2011)

Low-income communities have limited access to affordable, healthy food options due to a variety of social, financial, and structural barriers. In Saratoga County, a number of local programs have emerged to address these issues. We analyze the effectiveness of these programs and provide suggestions for increasing their scope.

Skidmore Supported Agriculture: Bringing More Local Food to the Skidmore College Community

Will Dowling (2012)

The current industrial agriculture system in the United States has damaged the environment and distanced people from their food and farms. The organic and local food movements have arisen in response to this system’s flaws. Through programs such as Community Supported Agriculture, people are gaining access to wholesome, local food while reconnecting with their food and communities. This project seeks to provide the benefits of this service to the greater Skidmore College community.

Social Capital and Soils in the Community Gardens of the Capital District: What they put in and what they take out

Olivia Miller, Abby Smith, and Emily Hudspeth (2013)

What are the social and physical characteristics of community gardens in the Capital District? How does location (urban, suburban, rural?) influence the functionality of gardens? Using a survey, we examined gardener perceptions of and contributions to community, both inside and outside garden walls. We analyzed soil type and impervious surface cover data as well. We created a ranking system to determine those gardens that exhibit the “best” and “worst” characteristics. These results were mapped using GIS which allowed us to find correlations between location and garden success. We found that location has the most impact on impervious surface and community within the garden whereas soil type and engagement with the surrounding community are more variable and depend on other factors besides location.

The New Farmer Movement

Rachael Bowen, Marie Nicol, and Will Conway (2014)

We investigated the identities and motivations of new farmers in the Hudson Valley to assess their potential political and economic impacts. Farmers had mixed reactions to their labeling as a social movement. Farmers shared a common love of the tangibility of farming and a common discontent with the current industrialized food system. They hoped to affect local economies, but were not motivated by the potential to alter the broader capitalist system.

Are You What You Eat?

Elizabeth Cohen, Olivia Powers, and Kana Miller (2014)

The local food movement seeks to create an alternative food system to address social and environmental concerns by rejecting large-scale, industrial agriculture. However, because of its emphasis on consumer purchasing power, it is often criticized for being elitist. We attempted to characterize the local food community in Saratoga Springs, New York and deconstruct the ways in which social culture contributes to both its accessibility and inaccessibility.

Understanding Disease Management and Farmers’ Perception of Soil Quality in a Rural US Farming Community

Tera Johnson, Aoife Semar, and Kate Jestin Taylor (2014)

Soil plays a critical role in supporting plant and animal life, but pathogens can create diseases that result in crop loss and cause a cascade of negative effects. We examined how fungicide management techniques influence soil dynamics and explored how farmers get information to guide their management practices. Most local farmers rely on the Cornell Cooperative Extension as their primary source of information.

Full report is not available. Please contact Karen Kellogg for more information.

Backyard Chickens: Hipster Fad or Gateway to Sustainable Living?

Julietta Cole (2015)

This case study explores the relationship between backyard chickens in Saratoga County and environmental behavior in order to determine whether chickens are a fad or gateway to sustainable living. Interviews and surveys indicated that chicken owners are more likely to pay more for local, natural, and organic products, to grow their own food, to acquire more microlivestock, and to compost. The movement indicates a broader sustainable attitude.

Feeding Mouths, Not Landfills: An Analysis of Food Recovery Efforts in Saratoga Springs

Melvin Alvarez, Jordan Chang, and Rebecca Fennel (2015)

Food recovery is a method of food redistribution that addresses both food waste and hunger. We interviewed stakeholders along the food distribution line and found several logistical and economic barriers that prevent food recovery from reaching its full potential in Saratoga Springs. Ultimately, we provide solutions that attempt to maximize the amount of food being diverted from the waste stream and instead redistributed to low-income community members.

Bringing the Forest into the City: Creating a Community Food Forest for Saratoga Springs

James Brownie, Jared Herman, and Jessica Aleman (2015)

Food Forests are low-maintenance, multifunctional, edible landscapes based on the principles of permaculture that can meet the needs of both people and ecosystems sustainably. We assessed the feasibility of creating a Food Forest in the City of Saratoga Springs. We conclude that a Saratoga Springs Food Forest is desirable and feasible, and anticipate that our research and recommendations will guide future implementation.

Evolv[ing] Saratoga Springs: Composting Food Waste in Restaurants

Raquel Escobar and Melissa Kaslowski (2015)

We examined the successes and challenges for Evolv Composting LLC business of Saratoga Springs, New York to raise awareness and encourage restaurants to compost their food waste. Evolv is a newly established, local composting business developed by two Skidmore students. We conducted surveys and interviews to better understand both the barriers to restaurant participation in composting programs and the perceived benefits of the program.

Seed Libraries

Clarivel Gonzales, Carolyn Lois, & Helen Mebrate (2016)

We examined how seed libraries contribute to regional crop-species diversity and provide food-system resilience against drought, disease, and other negative impacts of climate change. We surveyed seed library coordinators from around the country and measured the proliferation of regionally adapted seeds. Seed libraries have increased nearly 300% since 2013. They provide alternative sources to genetically modified seeds, enhance biodiversity and crop resilience, and reconnect people with their food source.

Got Local? Want Local? Consumer Marketing Analysis of Local Food

Rachel Dyckman, Olivia Gramprie, & Alyssa Hagerbrant (2016)

Local food (food grown within a region) is a growing environmental movement, and large food retailers are trying to capitalize on this trend. Retailers use food labels to capture consumer interest in local food. We evaluated local food availability in several cities within the Capital Region of New York State, and assessed how stores label and advertise local food. The majority of consumers will pay more for a local product, but availability and labeling vary widely among retailers.

Moo-tivations, obstacles, and opportunities: Implementing sustainable agricultural practices on dairy farms in New York State

Alyssa Bueno, Ian Daly, and Tracey Wingate (2018)

New York State (NYS) is the third largest producer of dairy in the US. We examined what sustainable agricultural practices (SAP) NYS dairy farmers are adopting, and their motivations. NYS dairy farmers are currently struggling due to low milk prices, and thus look for SAPs that contribute to the economic sustainability of an operation over environmental sustainability. If dairy farmers are expected to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations, they need more financial and technical support from state and federal agencies to help implement more expensive SAPs.

Growing, Growing, Gone: Identifying Alternative Markets for Surplus and Seconds Produce to Serve Low-Income Consumers in Saratoga County

Sydney Gellerman, Linnea Harris, Charlotte Hood, and Malcolm Kaletsch (2019)

The purpose of this research was to estimate the level of surplus on small-sized farms in the Capital Region and find markets for this surplus to serve low-income consumers in Saratoga County. Significant food is left either unharvested or unsold on regional farms while many residents of Saratoga County experience low food security. Both of these issues could be alleviated by providing farms with the resources needed to cost-effectively harvest and distribute surplus to serve those in need.

25 by 25: An Action Plan for Achieving 25% Sustainable Food Procurement at Skidmore College by 2025

Isabel Blumenthal and Fin Tevlin (2019)

Skidmore has committed to 25% sustainable food procurement by 2025. Progress has been made towards this goal but significant work remains, and achievement will require increased expenditure. We assembled a portfolio of projects that address this goal and assessed their feasibility. Together, these projects could account for the increased sustainable food expenditure. Moreover, they support sustainable local food, increase educational opportunities on campus, reduce environmental impact, and solidify institutional purchasing commitments.

Food Insecurity Among Women and Resource Accessibility in the Capital District

Isabella Gukeisen Jazmin Rendon, Olivia Glaser (2020)

We investigated how food insecurity in the Capital District affects women and resource accessibility at local, regional, and federal scales. We collected data through semi-structured interviews, surveys, and observation in Saratoga and Washington counties, NY. Our findings contribute to food studies literature and activists, policymakers, and food security stakeholders by providing knowledge on food-insecure women in a focused region and providing examples that reduce food waste and expand local networks among food pantries.

Paper is not available. For information, please contact the ESS Program Director.

Food Resiliency and the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York’s Capital District

Sam Blumenthal, Taylor Goodell, Siddharth Nizamuddin & Lauren Winkler (2021)

The Covid-19 pandemic had negative impacts on food insecurity globally and in the United States and created operational challenges for food assistance organizations. We used literature reviews, reports from food assistance agencies, and semi-structured interviews to examine the innovations that food banks, food pantries, food non-profit organizations, and farms in New York’s Capital District have adapted to address the growing demand for their services.

Paper is not available. For information, please contact the ESS Program Director.

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