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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. Produce flown or
trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite
understandably, much older. 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. Locally grown food, purchased soon after
harvest, retains its nutrients.
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 the old-fashioned way, 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 between the eater and the grower. 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 habitat of a farm - the patchwork of fields,
meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect environment for
many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer, herons,
bats, and rabbits.
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.
Buy
local food. Sustain local farms.
"10
Reasons to Buy Local Food" ©2001 Growing for Market. Permission to
print and photocopy is granted.
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