Lee O'Neill
Co-owner, farmer, and educator at Radical Roots Community Farm, a certified-organic produce farm in Keezletown, Virginia. She and Dave O’Neill founded the farm and grow organic vegetables while supporting local food access, farmer education, and regional distribution partnerships.
4P Foods Replaces Fragile Supply Chains With Regional Food Hubs
Tom McDougall, founder of 4P Foods, argues that regional food hubs can give farmers a larger share of customer spending while making local sourcing workable for schools, retailers and other large buyers. He presents the model as an alternative to a concentrated food system that he says has made supply chains brittle and consolidated wealth and power. McDougall’s broader case is that leaders must both improve the institutions people still depend on and build replacement systems organized around fairness, respect and resilience.
Regional Food Hubs Aim to Replace Fragile Supply Chains
Tom McDougall, founder of 4P Foods, argues that a food system built around concentrated production and long supply chains is efficient but fragile—and leaves farmers with too little of the value their food creates. His Mid-Atlantic food hub aggregates products from several hundred farms for schools, hospitals and other large buyers, reducing intermediaries and, he says, raising farmers’ average share of each customer dollar from 11 cents to 66 cents. McDougall’s broader case is for regional “supply webs” that strengthen existing procurement while building a less concentrated food system.