We think this year is going to be a big one in the local food movement. Supermarkets and just about everyone now is talking about 'provenance' as the new big thing. Pity it's taken some so long to cotton on.

This is both good, and dangerous. It's good because there's lots of new money out there, via two Lottery funded projects assembled by consortia of NGOs in the sector. The latest of these, managed by RSWT and simply called 'Local Food' , will be inviting bids in late Spring from organisations and enterprises of all kinds, while the consortia managed by Plunkett is funding development work by many organisations to help enterprises and community groups make things happen. It's good news too that the media is talking more about local food and that Localfoodshop now gives small producers an easy way to sell direct online.

Dangerous? Well, if the big multiples use their marketing power to create 'local food' lines, this may be good. But if 'local food' means more than locality, and includes a fair deal for the producer, less waste and lower food miles, shorter food chains and more control and real choice for local people, there's a good way to go.

The old chestnuts of collaborative distribution and marketing, and raising awareness in consumers and buyers at all levels, remain unresolved in most places. Much of our current work relates to these issues.

So this year, our new strategy is being developed around a number of themes. These include:

• supply chain facilitation and partnership building, especially around distribution and food hubs
• food and farming post peak-oil
• building producer skills through action-learning and mentoring
• e-commerce and supply chain information systems, building on Localfoodshop
• facilitating investment in sustainable food enterprises
• community food and retail action plans

f3's challenge and objective for the next six months is to develop these projects, with diverse partners, which address these issues and begin to make real changes.