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10 Reasons to Buy Local Food
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 1
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. Adapted from ©2001 Growing for Market
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