Food Hub Project Small local food system for farming & food culture

As a corporation formed in 2016 by the town hall, farmers, local businesses, and other stakeholders of rural Kamiyama, Tokushima, Food Hub Project passes down regional agricultural and culinary traditions to the next generation. One virtuous cycle established by the project can be found at the restaurant-bakery, which serves the community meals made with produce from other project participants in the spirit of local production for local consumption. Before the project began, a working group met in 2015, vowing to stand together as a team that would forgo excessive consensus-building, take risks, and not be deterred by criticism.

Love of community helps establish sustainable food practices. To encourage this, the project has emphasized aesthetics over economics and local perspectives over external ones, while showing an appreciation for everyday life and those who make it possible. What gives the project momentum is that members value continuous improvement, rather than creating something from nothing. Creative work in this approach focuses on things that set this region apart.

In response to widespread requests to participate in Food Hub Project, methods and ideas are suggested after consulting chefs in a chef-in-residence program. The program has had tangible results, as seen in requests for store concept-building and product development. Our project gives back to the community by simultaneously supporting farming, running a restaurant-bakery, developing packaged products, and teaching culinary heritage. This work is done as a team. Delicious meals are essential to food projects, but good design can arouse many people’s imaginations and make them crave a beautiful food culture and growing regions behind it.