This is a term used when farmers and consumers are more directly linked. Advocates of local and regional food systems believe that present and future food security is better guaranteed if healthy farms are preserved close to consumers' homes and communities. These systems also provide incentives for young people to remain in their home community as farmers and allow them to stay on the land they and previous generations of their family grew up on.
Some farmers supply meat, eggs, and dairy products directly to the consumers.
A recent trend in local and regional food systems is to link business and institutions that provide a food service with local farmers. For example, college and university food services can provide great benefits to their dining hall patrons and their local communities by buying as much food as possible directly from local producers. Food stores and restaurants often feature local foods as a way to support their communities and to provide fresh food to their customers. Most urban areas are experiencing an unprecedented expansion of suburbs, shopping malls, and office complexes. This growth eliminates valuable farmland and threatens the ability of future generations to produce food.