Elintarviketuotannon paikallinen kehittäminen Keski-Suomessa

Abstract

This article considers measures to develop local
food in Central Finland. The basic idea of local
food is to shorten the distance between the site
of production and consumption. Additionally, it also
aims to increase economic benefits in the region
and, therefore, local food has been the core of many
rural development projects. Fifteen rural developers,
such as project managers, were interviewed for
this research. The article highlights their opinions
about local food and its possibilities and challenges
in the future. On the grounds of research, the
food producers should create local networks and
differentiate their products more in order to reach
customers better. The rural development projects
can be helpful in doing this and they can also be
seen as resources for regional development policy.
However, the periodic nature of projects makes
long-span development efforts difficult.