Scaling looks at the relationships involved with where food is produced and how it is distributed by locality or by geography. It is not an exact science because it looks at a range of factors. Food is produced on a global scale or locally produced…. Scaling attempts to find an accurate measure for the relationship between where the food is made to where and how it is sold/distributed.

“Scale is socially produced, scale is both fluid and fixed, and scale is a fundamentally relational concept” (Avoiding the Local Trap: Scale and Food Systems in Planning Research, Branden Born and Mark Purcell

The major issue with scaling is that many models from various disciplines make up the scalar data. So geography, environment, human resource, seeding, consumers, and many factors go into measuring food scales. But these are all separate scientific fields with differing models of research and measurement.

Agroecology is a possible solution to having a better definition and use of food scaling. Experts agree that Agroecology looks at ecology models for the design and management of sustainable food systems (https://www.greenbiz.com/article/agroecology-science-can-help-scale-sus…).

"What that means in practice is that farmers and researchers work together to develop farming practices that enhance soil fertility, recycle nutrients, optimize the use of energy and water and, perhaps most important, increase the beneficial interactions of organisms with and within their ecosystems.” https://www.greenbiz.com/article/agroecology-science-can-help-scale-sus… https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_supply/stud…

Source: Spatial Scale and Typologies of Food Systems

Example:

Hemp Consumables

Big Scale: Anheuser-Busch making new marijuana drink as an alternative to beer.. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2018/09/04/is-anheuser-busch-nex…)

Pharma companies making THC meds

Medium scale - National Dispensaries selling wholesale products such as oils and tinctures for distribution and use in recipes

Local scale -- Smaller dispensaries, mom-pop MJ stores, local farmers, greenhouse / hydroponic growers.

Food Systems and Scaling Sources:

Class
Biodesigning the Future of Food