An exploration of community-organised social enterprise in the development of local food system infrastructure

This research will explore how community organised social entrepreneurship and enterprise can be used to build and strengthen local food systems in the Capital Region of British Columbia. It will ask questions about how effective social entrepreneurship could be in developing warehousing, distribution and processing services that are compatible in scale and quality with community-based local food system objectives and values. It will ask about the blended value that social entrepreneurship could bring to achieving environmental, ecological and social goals while shifting the food system away from industrial food production and toward more sustainable and resilient local production. The research will provide new information and knowledge to the innovation that industry partner, Thrifty Foods, is interested in bringing to the expansion of its local food initiatives in the region and beyond.

Faculty Supervisor:

Siomonn Pulla

Student:

Patricia Reichert

Partner:

Thrifty Foods

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Consumer goods

University:

Royal Roads University