The Benefits of Buying Locally Grown Food…and Where to Find It.

copyright 2018 Art of Living, Prima Media, Inc
Guest Blogger: Lauren Keller
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably read countless articles, posts, news stories urging you to eat and shop locally. But, why should you do it? Well, there are many positives to buying food locally – ones that benefit the environment, your health, and the economy. There are also many ways to find local goods, often more cost effective than spending at a chain grocery store.
The Benefits of Buying Food Locally
Environment
Sourcing your food locally comes with great benefits to the environment. Commercially produced food travels over fifteen times the distance of locally produced food to reach consumers or even more. The transportation of these goods comes with a huge carbon footprint. Buying your food locally helps to reduce the carbon emissions related to food transportation drastically.
Small and local farms also protect genetic diversity among produce. The commercialization of produce items had led to a rapid decline of genetic diversity. For example, of the 7,500 types of apples know globally and the 2,500 grown in the United States, only 100 are produced commercially in the country. Focusing spending towards smaller and more local agriculture supports a wider variety of produce.
Also, small farms are more likely to adopt environmentally friendly practices and produce less waste and pollution than commercial farms.
Economy
Spending money within your community ensures that money stays in your community. By buying locally, the local economy gets a boost and the workers and families in your area see a greater profit.
Purchasing directly from small farms also cuts distribution costs and other expenses for your local farmers, allowing them to retain more of a well-deserved profit for their products.
And, supporting local farms creates more jobs for people within your community and even nationally compared to job creation rates of commercial farms.
Health
The longer food items go without being consumed, the more nutrients they lose before they become a meal. Because local foods are spend less time traveling from the farm to your dinner table, they have more nutrients important to maintaining a healthy diet once they are eaten.
Local foods are also grown seasonally. Eating seasonally has the benefit of receiving the most nutrients from your food as it was produced during its ideal season and so grows to it full nutrition potential.
Exposure to pesticides can cause a number of health complications. Locally grown produce is more commonly raised with less pesticides than commercially grown produce or with no pesticides at all. Buying these items locally can reduce or even eliminate regular contact with these harmful chemicals.
How-To On Eating Locally
Hit the Farmer’s Market
Farmer’s markets are great places to purchase local foods as well as a variety of other locally produced goods. These events are often held seasonally, so keep an eye out in your local news outlets or simply search online for opening dates.
Know Your Region
When it comes to buying food locally, it is impossible to find every food item you might pick up at a chain grocery store. However, knowing what is grown in your area will help you get an idea of the selection.
Eat Seasonally
Tailoring meals to the time of year will support a habit of buying locally as food produced closer to home tends to depend on the season. Get creative and incorporate seasonal items into your favorite recipes!
Join a CSA
Joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program is a great way to get local foods and support local agriculture. These programs allow you to buy more directly from farmers. They do come with a fee, but it’s often much cheaper in the long run compared to buying from grocery stores. Some will even provide delivery right to your home!
Grow Your Own Food
Growing your own produce is one of the best ways to cut food costs and promote a healthy diet. There are plenty of common food items that are easy to grow in your own backyard or even inside the house. Plus, gardening is a great way to get active and reduce stress!
 
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