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Our varied climates, soil types, and access to water make it possible to raise a wide diversity of farm products in the Pacific Northwest. Yet in today’s globalized food system, most of the food eaten by regional consumers comes from other parts of the country, and even from around the world. The concept of "import substitution" is used to evaluate the potential economic impact of replacing goods currently imported to a study area with goods that are produced within the region.
State-Level Analysis: For each of the three states, Northwest Direct researchers measured the contribution that in-state food supplies now make to the total food consumption. The researchers then predicted the economic impact of increasing the amount of local food that is consumed locally. (For this component of the project, "local" is defined as being produced in-state.)
Community-Level Analysis: NW Direct researchers also selected three demographically diverse counties in the region for import substitution analysis at the community level: King County, Washington (urban); Lane County, Oregon (semi-rural); and Moscow, Idaho (rural).
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