Sustaination is the answer to the old-age question of “how can people who want to buy locally meet those that want to sell locally?” Sustaination uses a social media platform (read: website) to join the dots and link local producers with local businesses. 

According to Sustaination buying local food is not convenient enough and businesses, like consumers, struggle to find local producers with the produce they need. Often, to find what you’re after locally, you need to make 20-30 calls. With Sustaination, you log-on to their website, find what is available locally and arrange a delivery (potentially sharing delivery costs with other like-minded local businesses).

The Huffington Post called Sustaination a “Dating site for food” and Co.Exist described it as “A LinkedIn for local food and farmers”.

Sustaination say that “by making it easy and worthwhile for businesses to provide information about their produce, we re-establish local and regional food networks which make local trade easy and efficient. Together can help ensure food is efficiently traded, resources well used, and livelihoods protected.”

The video below explains (in about 2 minutes) how Sustaination works.

(SUSTAINATION - Now with extra maracas! from Ed Dowding on Vimeo.)

Sustaination will go live in the new year (2012), so if you’re a local producer, retailer, restaurant or pub committed to supporting your local community by offering your clients local produce, then head-over to Sustaination and register your business. Alternatively, you could also follow @Sustaination on Twitter.