SustainableTable.com Discusses Eating Locally

Here's some great information from SustainableTable.com. Primarily from an environmental perspective, this site discusses the importance of eating local first. We here on the MHBA blog typically focus on the social and economic implications of going local, so hope that you appreciate a the variance in viewpoint.

Why buy local?

There are countless reasons why buying local food is both rewarding and delicious, including enjoying the taste of fresh food, improved health and nutrition, environmental stewardship, support for family farms and rural communities, and ensuring animal welfare.

There is also significant peace of mind in knowing where our food comes from. One of the biggest benefits to buying food locally is having someone to answer questions about how it was grown and raised. What goes into that loaf of bread? Can we be certain that the hog that is now bacon lived a life without suffering? How do we know those jalapeños are salmonella free?

Developing a relationship with local farmers gives us an "in" with our local food system. At farmers' markets we can get answers to questions like: When do tomatoes come into season? How might I use celeriac? Often, we can take a tour of the farm our food comes from. Some farmers are thrilled to share their knowledge and experience with their customers. Ask about the challenges your local farmers face and what they are doing to address them. It doesn't have to be complicated. Ask about the weather! Any farmer will be pleased to talk about how the growing season is going and how that affects the food they grow. Knowing local farmers can go a long way to simplifying buying local.

Economics of local

The significant difficulties of earning a living wage as a farmer are often masked by headlines about subsidies and record high crop prices. In reality, farmers are earning less producing crops these days than they did in 1969, despite the fact that American farmers have almost doubled productivity over the past four decades. Farmers aren't just earning less, current prices do not even cover the cost of production. Until just recently the difference between farm income nationwide and what it cost to grow and raise American crops could be counted in the billions.⁵ To make ends meet, and often to get health insurance, more than half of American farmers work a second off-farm job.⁶

Buying locally or directly from farmers can dramatically increase a farmer's income. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener's Association published a study that demonstrates what would happen if consumers shifted 1% of their purchasing power to buy locally grown products: farmers would see a gain of 5% in their income.⁷ Even better, buying direct from a farmer sends 90% of those food dollars back to the farm.⁸ Increasing farm income means more money can be spent locally by the farmer to run their business and home, helping keep the local economy alive.

Annually, Americans consume more than $600 billion⁹ in food. In most communities today food is purchased entirely at a grocery store or market, with only about 7% of local food dollars staying in the community.¹⁰ The other 93% of the modern food dollar travels to pay processors, packagers, distributors, wholesalers, truckers and the rest of the infrastructure that a global food system demands, a stark comparison to 40% in 1910 by contrast, 40% of food dollars spend remained in the local economy.¹¹ When more food dollars stay in the community, through buying local, they are transformed into thriving main streets and local jobs.

What you can do

Join the growing movement of consumers around the world who are making a little extra effort to find food raised nearby. You might be surprised to learn how many farms there are in your area.

Start small and don't expect to change all your eating habits overnight. Commit to purchasing one thing locally each week or each month. Once you see how easy it is and you enjoy the great taste, you'll surely go back for more!

Community supported agriculture (CSA) programs
CSA provides a direct link between local farmers and consumers. Each season, members purchase a share of a farmer's crop before it's planted. This allows the farmer to pay for seed, water and equipment upfront, so s/he is less reliant on banks and loans. Each week during the harvest time, usually June through October, the farmer delivers great tasting, healthy food to the members at pre-determined locations. In some instances, members pick up their share directly from the farm.

By purchasing a share in a farmer's crop, you share in the bounty. In good years, you will get more; in not-so-good years, you won't get as much. It's a great way to try vegetables you might not normally eat—or might never have heard of! Most CSA programs provide vegetables and fruit, though many also offer meat, dairy, eggs and fish.

To find a CSA program in your area, visit the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. If you can't find a CSA program in your area, start one! Just Food, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, helps start CSA programs in all five boroughs. They also offer a CSA Toolkit for $35 that details how to start a CSA program in NYC.

If you do start a CSA program, keep a journal about your experiences to share with others. Submit a blog post about it to our site.

Farmers' markets
A great way to buy local is to shop at farmers' markets, where you can ask the farmer how the food was raised and produced. Use our Questions to Ask handouts for sample questions.

If you can't find a farmers market in your area, start one yourself, or get a group of people together to help you! If you decide to take this on, please let us know!

For more information on starting a market, visit:

• Southland Farmers Market Association (Southern California) - How to Start a Farmers Market
• Minnesota Farmers Market Association - Starting Your Own Farmers Market
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• Butterfield Organic Growers (New Hampshire) - Start a Farmers Market in Your Own Area. (They ask for a donation - no amount specified - if you print out the guide.)
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Buy Local Challenge
The Buy Local Challenge is simply a pact you make with friends, family members or co-workers to eat locally. You can be as lenient or as strict as you like - from agreeing to cook one meal with local ingredients to eating only local food for one month (now that's a challenge!)

The key is to engage others in a conversation about eating locally, and what better way is there than to try it yourself? Share your experiences, swap recipes, and discover new foods! Then visit Sustainable Table's forum, The Parlour, to talk about your experiences.

If you would like to use this as an opportunity to educate others about local, sustainable food, show them The Meatrix films, or visit the Sustainable Table web site for information you can print out and share.

Vanguard Communications, a public relations firm in Washington DC, developed their own Buy Local Challenge. Visit their Buy Local Challenge for ideas on what you can do.

Adopt a local farmer
You can use the Eat Well Guide to find a farmer or farmers' market in your area. If you find a farmer you like, "adopt" him or her.

• Encourage your friends and neighbors to buy the farm's products.
• Invite the farmer over for a sustainable dinner party and ask them talk to your family and friends about what they do.
• Get your local supermarket to start carrying their products.
• Help get the word out about what good farmers they are!

Grow Your Own
Whether it's a plot in your backyard or a small window herb garden, growing your own food is a richly rewarding experience. Many towns have gardening classes, but it's easy to simply buy some seeds and experiment. You might even consider raising your own chickens for meat or eggs. The National Gardening Association has tips on getting started.

If you live in an urban area and don't have land to plant on, you can often find community gardens that offer plots in exchange for some volunteer time. Visit the American Community Gardening Association for more information. And once you grow all that great food, learn how to can, freeze or preserve it.

Sources

• Pirog, Rich, and Andrew Benjamin. "Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing Food Miles for Local Versus Conventional Produce Sales in Iowa Institutions." Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. July, 2003.
• Ibid.
• Jerardo, Alberto. "The Import Share of U.S. Consumed Food Continues to Rise." USDA Economic Research Service. July, 2002.
• Leopold Center. "Food Facts: Results from Marketing and Food Systems Research." Iowa State University. March, 2008. p11 (accessed online 8/16/08).
• Meter, Ken. "A brief history of the 'Finding food in farm country' studies." Crossroads Resource Center. September, 2005. p2 (accessed online 8/17/08).
• United States Department of Agriculture. "2002 Census of Agriculture." Table 1: Historical Highlights: 2002 and Earlier Census Years. 2002 (accessed online December 22, 2008).
• Economic Impact of Maine Food System and Farm Vitality Policy Implications. A Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Second Regular Session of the 120th Maine Legislature. November, 2002.
• Food and Water Watch. "Fact Sheet: Eat Local, Good for Your Health, Good For Your Community." p2, (accessed online 7/29/08).
• Meter, Ken. "U.S. Food and Market Highlights." Crossroads Resource Center. September, 2006. p1 (accessed online on 7/29/08).
• Food and Water Watch. "Fact Sheet: Eat Local, Good for Your Health, Good For Your Community." p2 (accessed online 7/29/08).
• Ibid.