Why Produce Food? Shifting Motivations

Abstract

Many premodern food production systems were developed to meet the needs of the local community. With little distance between food producers and consumers, they were more likely to be concerned about each other’s well-being. In contrast, with modern industrialized food production, whether on farms or in factories, producers don’t know consumers at all. Food production is driven more by the pursuit of private wealth than by concerns about public health and well-being. There is a need to find the right mix between the industrial and community-based approaches.