Why Buy Local Food?
EAT LOCAL! Guide
BUY LOCAL FIRST!
EAT LOCAL!
GROW LOCAL!
LOCAL ENERGY!
LOCAL CURRENCY!
Keep Me Informed About the BOULDER COUNTY GOING LOCAL! Campaign.
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Why Buying Local Food Is Important
Buying local food strengthens the regional economy ...
- Purchasing food that was grown and harvested locally keeps money circulating within the community, keeping wealth in the region
- Buying local food supports family farmers in the community, some of whom have farmed the land for generations
- Supporting local farms can help to create jobs for the region
- A strong local economy insulates the region from national and global recessions
Buying local food provides high-quality, fresh foods ...
- Locally-produced food is often fresher than conventional products grown far away and shipped in trucks for several days
- Consumers can give local farmers feedback on the quality and freshness of their produce
Buying local food fosters community growth ...
- Family farms are part of the American tradition of self-sufficiency and serve as the basis of local communities
- Local farmers markets and CSA farms provide places for community members to meet, socialize, and discuss issues
- Local farmers markets and farms bring together individuals who share concerns about the future, promoting organization and cooperation toward common goals
- By helping family farms financially, consumers sustain their families and the community with delicious, healthy local foods!
Buying local lets people connect with their food producers concerning the safety and nutrition of their foods...
- Locally-grown foods can be high in nutrients, often reaching customers within 24 hours of harvest, while produce shipped from out of state may be up to a week old and has often suffered from severe nutrient loss
- When people buy locally, they can ask whether the farmers use safe farming practices, what they spray on their crops, and what they feed to their animals
- As friends and community members, people can develop a relationship with their farmers
Buying local preserves the natural environment ...
- By supporting local agriculture, people protect their region's farmland from urban sprawl and development.
- Protection of local farmland means protection of open spaces, natural ecosystems, and biodiversity
- Buying local food helps to reduce dependence on foreign oil needed to ship food thousands of miles, thus cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or "share-holders" of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.
An increasingly popular way for people to directly participate in their local food system is to "put your money where your mouth is" and become a share-holding member in a local "Community Supported Agriculture" farm. With an annual subscription, and the grace of good weather, CSA members receive a weekly harvest of local, fresh produce May through October.
CSA members enjoy the diversity of produce, weekly newsletters with tips for cooking the bounty of (sometimes exotic) vegetables and the opportunity to learn more about what grows in season in our region. Community events and other educational opportunities are key elements to any CSA, further developing a direct relationship with the farmers who tend the land and the people who enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); see appendix for full definition.
A "foodshed" is similar in concept to a watershed. A foodshed, as defined by Edible Communities member, Brian Halweil, is "that sphere of land, people, and businesses that provides a community or region with its food."
Adapted from www.foodroutes.org
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