# Methodology

Demand is calculated from population-days and bounded edible-food decisions, not inferred from production. A diet must meet every enabled nutrient minimum and maximum and every food-specific culinary diversity bound. Availability, geographic access, affordability, reliability, and nutrition are reported separately.

Supply combines local producer classes, other Maryland regions, interstate aggregates, and named import gateways. Local capacity is seasonal for vegetables and uniform for continuous classes in the fixture. Transport cost uses route-distance proxies rather than Euclidean distance; checked-in distances are replaceable until Freight Analysis Framework or routable network edges are ingested.

Producer viability price equals operating cost + labor compensation + capital recovery + risk allowance + minimum sustainable margin. The replacement scenario purchases only at or above that price, limits a source to 85% of an area-food market when alternatives exist, and reports contract guarantees and risk-pool terms.

Inventory uses monthly exponential-like survival coefficients. The balance includes delivered procurement, consumption, closing inventory, and decay embedded between periods. Dry food must maintain scenario reserve days; perishables use seven days because freezing/processing recipes are not yet active. Capacity additions are continuous planning estimates and require site engineering.

The objective minimizes food procurement, transport, storage, annualized capacity, and last-mile distribution. Household support, administration, and contingency are calculated transparently after the physical plan; future versions will endogenize channel selection and public/private revenue.