Foodshed Identification, and Boston’s Fruit and Vegetable Demand, Output and Potential

Background -

In an effort to inspire local food system empowerment, I look to conceptualize Boston's Foodshed potential. A foodshed is a geo-graphic region that produces food for a particular population. This term is gaining popularity as a way to define the bounds of local food systems. This poster describes the results of a four step foodshed analysis. First, I quantify the northeast foodshed bound-aries. Then i look at the demands of this area, based on its popu-lation and the USDA Daily Recommended Intake of certain food groups. Third, I focus on how much fruit and vegetables are being grown in the Boston Foodshed, and compare the difference be-tween demand and production. Lastly, areas available for expand-

Methodology -

Foodshed boundaries are determined by associating counties with a particular foodshed. By using cropscape data to view developed areas, rough dividing lines were drawn between major metropoli-tan areas. Next, populations of these metro areas were defined. Then, the rough dividing lines were adjusted based on population. In the case of the rough foodshed border between New York City and Boston, counties in which the border ran through were ab-solved by New York City, since its metro area is significantly more populated than Boston’s. The scope then narrows onto the Boston Foodshed. The demand for fruits and vegetables in each county was determined by multiplying the USDA DRI for fruit and vegeta-bles (veg) by the population of each county. Quantities were con-verted from cups per day to acres per year using northeast crop yield data. Production figures were pulled for the USDA Census of Agriculture (Ag Census) by product per county. These individual species were categorized as fruit or ve. These lbs/acre/year fig-ures were converted into cups/acre/year. Land with the potential for agriculture (LPA) was determined using cropscape data. Areas defined as “barren,” “developed open space,” and “idle cropland” were quantified, and converted into an acre total. LPA per county was calculated.

Findings - The Boston Foodshed was determined to consist of 43 counties in parts of Connecticut, Vermont and Maine, and all of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The charts below show the total demand, production, and potential for production of fruits and vegetables in each county within the foodshed, as well as for the foodshed as a whole. This data offers two key suggestions. First, the Boston Foodshed has a much higher demand for fruits and vegetables than a supply. Second, there exists enough available open space in Boston’s Foodshed for agriculture expansion to comes within 10% of meeting its demand for fruits and vegetables.

Boston Foodshed To-tals Demand Produced LPA

Fruit Acres 724921 190724 x

Veg Acres 773249 10221 x

Total Fruit+Veg Acres 1498170 200945 1143277

County

County demand/foodshed demand

County pro-duced/foodshed

demand

(County LPA)/foodshed(demand-produced)

Knox, NH 0.004 0.005 0.010

Rockingham, NH 0.031 0.001 0.031

Newport, NH 0.009 0.001 0.006

Oxford, NH 0.006 0.001 0.023

Coos, NH 0.003 0.000 0.017

Strafford, NH 0.013 0.000 0.016

Bristol, MA 0.057 0.002 0.030

Middlesex, MA 0.158 0.001 0.051

Norfolk, MA 0.070 0.000 0.030

Worcester, MA 0.084 0.001 0.060

Washington, ME 0.013 0.000 0.015

Grafton, ME 0.009 0.000 0.023

Cumberland, ME 0.030 0.001 0.037

Franklin, ME 0.003 0.000 0.015

Somerset, ME 0.005 0.000 0.027

Plymouth, MA 0.052 0.015 0.042

Suffolk, MA 0.076 0.000 0.001

Franklin, MA 0.007 0.002 0.016

Waldo, ME 0.004 0.001 0.015

Sagadahoc, ME 0.004 0.000 0.008

Piscataquis, ME 0.002 0.001 0.019

York, ME 0.021 0.001 0.034

Essex, MA 0.078 0.001 0.026

Cheshire, NH 0.007 0.000 0.015

Sullivan, NH 0.005 0.000 0.010

Washington, RI 0.003 0.075 0.018

Penobscot, ME 0.016 0.001 0.035

Androscoggin, ME 0.011 0.001 0.015

Hancock, ME 0.006 0.015 0.018

Kennebec, ME 0.013 0.001 0.022

Belknap, NH 0.003 0.000 0.012

Hillsborough, NH 0.042 0.001 0.030

Dukes, MA 0.002 0.000 0.008

Windham, CT 0.005 0.001 0.014

Windham, VT 0.012 0.001 0.017

Kent, RI 0.017 0.000 0.008

Carroll, NH 0.005 0.000 0.019

Merrimack, NH 0.015 0.001 0.023

Lincoln, ME 0.004 0.002 0.012

Providence, RI 0.066 0.001 0.017

Nantucket, MA 0.001 0.000 0.004

Barnstable, MA 0.023 0.001 0.033

Bristol, RI 0.005 0.000 0.002

County Data

Boston Foodshed Data

North East Foodsheds Demand Production

Agriculture Land Cover LPA

Areas of Interest