Resilient and sustainable rural communities: multiplier effect of local food system

Project description

The main objective of the project was to create new interdisciplinary knowledge in rural research, especially in the fields of the regional economy and rural sociology, introducing a new methodology for analysing the multiplicative impact of the local food system in the context of resilient and sustainable rural communities in Latvia. The local food system covers a complex and diverse set of stakeholders and their interactions, from producers to consumers operating within a defined social, economic and institutional framework. Based on a multidisciplinary literature review, statistical analysis, quantitative and qualitative empirical data, the project got evidence that the local food system, including local food networks and chains, has a wide range of direct and indirect impacts on local communities (multiplicative effect). Policy recommendations for project target groups were developed.