Food Clusters, Rural Development and Creative Economy

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual framework that outlines the formation of a food cluster as part of creative rural development, transforming the 'comparative advantages' of a place into 'competitive advantages' by enhancing a local food production and consumption nexus. A conceptual framework is proposed that emphasizes four facilitators that constitute the innovation process that underpins the creation and operation of food clusters as place-based rural development. The framework is used to guide information acquisition, analysis and presentation in a case study of SAVOUR Muskoka, a food cluster in Ontario, Canada. Together, the framework and case study show how the innovation process involved in the formation of a food cluster contribute to the rural development of a creative food economy.