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REASONS
TO BUY LOCAL FOOD- by Susan Pataky
Local food builds
a stronger community. When you buy direct from
the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Locally grown food is usually
delivered within a day or two after harvest. Since fresh produce loses flavor and nutrients quickly this is a win-win situation.
Produce flown or trucked in is much older and negatively impacts environment. i.e. fuel consumption, transport vehicle emissions.
Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.
These
unsung heroes ensure that Nature’s Bounty remains intact as locally grown 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.
These smaller farms grow
a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest. In contrast, at the modern factory-style industrial
agricultural system, the varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment.
Only a handful of varieties of fruits and vegetables meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in
the plants grown. Take apples for instance, How many apple varieties are there: 75, 750, 7500 or
75,000??? For correct answer see next weeks column.
Another great reason for by buying local food is you’re preserving open
space. As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases,
selling farmland for development becomes less likely. The rural landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially
viable. Also, farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it
generates in taxes
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 are planted to capture carbon emissions and
help combat global warming.
Local food is about the future. By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community
tomorrow, so that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.
-Based on philosophy of Brenton
Johnson, an organic farmer and owner of Johnson’s Backyard Garden
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