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b'An increasing number of Canadian households are embracing \\u201clocally-produced\\u201d food. A response to a complex of factors, it appears that local food may be on the verge of moving from a niche market to a market segment. Notwithstanding the growing popularity of local foods, a number of important questions remain unresolved.\\n\\nIn this presentation the following questions will be addressed:\\n1.\\tJust how \\u201clocal\\u201d is locally-produced food?\\n2.\\tIs the growing popularity of locally-produced food really a \\u201cturn toward quality\\u201d, or is it simply another example of branding and product differentiation?\\n3.\\tWhat is the likely future of local food systems?\\n\\nSpeaker: Tom Johnston\\n\\nTom Johnston holds degrees from the universities of Guelph and Waterloo, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Lethbridge. In addition to his interest in local food systems, Dr. Johnston\\u2019s ongoing research projects include an examination of the adoption of drought-proofing strategies by farmers and rural households, an evaluation of voluntary adoption programming pursuant to environmentally sympathetic rural land-use practices, a study of the efficacy of community-level water management initiatives, and an investigation of the use of water conserving measures by irrigation farmers.'