Grow Local, Think Global: Applying Lederach’s Theory of Conflict Transformation to the Local Food Movement in Central Texas

This descriptive case study of the local food movement in Central Texas, USA holds the movement accountable to work from a structural analysis in order to create change. Qualitative methods including interviews, public comments and documents were used to explore how advocates involved in the local food movement relate their work to food security initiatives in other countries. The research revealed that individuals working in the local food movement relate their work to international challenges and issues including the global economy, creating a more equitable food supply, a tendency towards international farmer competition, and social and economic sustainability at a global scale. Additional opportunities for creating change include building relationships between immigrants and small farmers in the U.S., and building understanding of global structures and common interests of farmers and food security initiatives in different countries. The local food movement should examine the possibility that it may define itself in a way that excludes people of color. Opportunities for international solidarity abound, but tend to fall outside the scope of many of the organizations in the Central Texas local food movement