Why Buy Local?
Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket
shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this
is when taking into account only US grown products! Those distances are
substantially longer when we take into consideration produce imported from
Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places.
We can only afford to do this now because of the artificially low energy prices that
we currently enjoy, and by externalizing the environmental costs of such a wasteful
food system. We do this also to the detriment of small farmers by subsidizing
large scale, agribusiness-oriented agriculture with government handouts and
artificially cheap energy.
Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket
shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this
is when taking into account only US grown products! Those distances are
substantially longer when we take into consideration produce imported from
Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places.
We can only afford to do this now because of the artificially low energy prices that
we currently enjoy, and by externalizing the environmental costs of such a wasteful
food system. We do this also to the detriment of small farmers by subsidizing
large scale, agribusiness-oriented agriculture with government handouts and
artificially cheap energy.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Cheap oil will not last forever though. World oil production has already peaked, according to some estimates, and while demand for
energy continues to grow, supply will soon start dwindling, sending the price of energy through the roof. We'll be forced then to
reevaluate our food systems and place more emphasis on energy efficient agricultural methods, like smaller-scale organic
agriculture, and on local production wherever possible.
Cheap energy and agricultural subsidies facilitate a type of agriculture that is destroying and polluting our soils and water,
weakening our communities, and concentrating wealth and power into a few hands. It is also threatening the security of our food
systems, as demonstrated by the continued e-Coli, GMO-contamination, and other health scares that are often seen nowadays on
the news.
These large-scale, agribusiness-oriented food systems are bound to fail on the long term, sunk by their own unsustainability. But
why wait until we're forced by circumstance to abandon our destructive patterns of consumption? We can start now by buying locally
grown food whenever possible. By doing so you'll be helping preserve the environment, and you'll be strengthening your community
by investing your food dollar close to home. Only 18 cents of every dollar, when buying at a large supermarket, go to the grower. 82
cents go to various unnecessary middlemen. Cut them out of the picture and buy your food directly from your local farmer.
Why Buy Local reprinted with premission from Local Harvest © 1999-2007 LocalHarvest, Inc.
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Local
1. Locally grown food tastes better.
Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Several
studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from
harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.
2. Local produce is better for you.
A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more
nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week.
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting
equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a
handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants
grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching
colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good.
These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday
provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.
4. Local food is GMO-free.
Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently
licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them
wouldn't use it even if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically
modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally
grown produce was bred as nature intended.
5. Local food supports local farm families.
With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no
wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the
retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which
means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.
6. Local food builds community.
When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into
the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and
grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.
7. Local food preserves open space.
As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have
probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the
picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you
are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.
8. Local food keeps your taxes in check.
Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in
taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must
spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open
space, governments spend 34 cents on services.
9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.
A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land
grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help
combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the
carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect
environment for many beloved species of wildlife.
10. Local food is about the future.
By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future
generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.
Top 10 list re-printed with permission from Growing For Market.
energy continues to grow, supply will soon start dwindling, sending the price of energy through the roof. We'll be forced then to
reevaluate our food systems and place more emphasis on energy efficient agricultural methods, like smaller-scale organic
agriculture, and on local production wherever possible.
Cheap energy and agricultural subsidies facilitate a type of agriculture that is destroying and polluting our soils and water,
weakening our communities, and concentrating wealth and power into a few hands. It is also threatening the security of our food
systems, as demonstrated by the continued e-Coli, GMO-contamination, and other health scares that are often seen nowadays on
the news.
These large-scale, agribusiness-oriented food systems are bound to fail on the long term, sunk by their own unsustainability. But
why wait until we're forced by circumstance to abandon our destructive patterns of consumption? We can start now by buying locally
grown food whenever possible. By doing so you'll be helping preserve the environment, and you'll be strengthening your community
by investing your food dollar close to home. Only 18 cents of every dollar, when buying at a large supermarket, go to the grower. 82
cents go to various unnecessary middlemen. Cut them out of the picture and buy your food directly from your local farmer.
Why Buy Local reprinted with premission from Local Harvest © 1999-2007 LocalHarvest, Inc.
Top 10 Reasons to Buy Local
1. Locally grown food tastes better.
Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Several
studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from
harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.
2. Local produce is better for you.
A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more
nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week.
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting
equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a
handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants
grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching
colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good.
These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday
provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.
4. Local food is GMO-free.
Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently
licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them
wouldn't use it even if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically
modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally
grown produce was bred as nature intended.
5. Local food supports local farm families.
With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no
wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the
retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which
means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.
6. Local food builds community.
When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into
the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and
grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.
7. Local food preserves open space.
As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have
probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the
picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you
are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.
8. Local food keeps your taxes in check.
Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in
taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must
spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open
space, governments spend 34 cents on services.
9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.
A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land
grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help
combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the
carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect
environment for many beloved species of wildlife.
10. Local food is about the future.
By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future
generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.
Top 10 list re-printed with permission from Growing For Market.
| © 2008 - Alternatives-Magazine and Mountain Publishing Website developed by M.E. Questions contact dennisk@nemont.net |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
- Energy
- Environment
- Transportation
- Health & Fitness
- Sports & Recreation
- Environment
- Transportation
- Health & Fitness
- Sports & Recreation