F OO D SH ED A NALYS IS : QUES T ION 1
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE NEW ENGLAND GOOD FOOD VISION The New England Good Food Vision is based on two main assumptions.
ASSUMPTION TWO The use of sustainable agricultural practices.
ASSUMPTION ONE An assumed average diet based on USDA and Harvard School of Public Health nutritional standards. The first assumption is of an assumed average diet. An assumed average diet allows for the calculation of the amount and type of food calories needed to meet the nutritional needs of New England’s population. The New England Good Food diet is based on USDA and Harvard School of Public Health nutritional recommendations (U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010; Willett, Skerrett, Giovannucci and Callahan, 2001). It departs from the average American diet (Donahue 2012a) by: • Increasing or doubling fruits and vegetables • Including only whole grains • Maintaining level of dairy • Increasing fish and beans • Reducing red meat Based on the recommendations of the Harvard School of Public Health, this diet assumes a daily caloric requirement of 2,300, a requirement higher that the USDA daily average of 2,000 calories.
The second assumption of the New England Good Food Vision is of the use of sustainable agricultural practices, which can produce a higher approximate caloric yield of New England’s farmland. This foodshed analysis assumes the use of sustainable agricultural practices, such as rotational grazing and multi-species grazing, will greatly increase the amount of livestock that can be raised per acre of farmland, thereby increasing the farmland’s approximate caloric yield. In rotational grazing, larger livestock (e.g., cows, sheep, and goats) are raised almost entirely upon grass and hay. However, larger livestock, especially dairy cows, will still need some supplementary grain. In multi-species grazing, small-scale livestock (e.g., pigs, chickens, and turkeys) are integrated into the grazing systems of larger livestock without requiring much additional pasture acreage. This is especially true because these smaller animals do not forage on grass, relying instead primarily on feed grains. “Sustainable agriculture provides high yields without undermining the natural systems and resources that productivity depends on.” — Union of Concerned Scientists, Towards Healthy Food & Farms
FARMLAND & FOODSHED STUDY
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