Farming, both small- and large-scale, is vital not only to the survival of the world's (growing) population, but also to solving some of of the most pressing problems (environmental degradation, energy dependence) we face today, and will face in future generations. By promoting local agricultural production, we as consumers and citizens aware of how our choices affect more than just what's on our plate, can positively influence how food production, transportation and marketing are done.
Since becoming immersed in the local foods movement, I have come to realize that there are many others that share my ideals of supporting local farms and farmers for the multitude of benefits they produce. And thus, I have decided to create an actual blog to chronicle this increasingly popular phenomenon.
In my mind (we'll see where this ends up in practice), this blog will be a place where I, and hopefully others, can post local food events, recipes, ideas for eating/living sustainably and anything else that relates to being a "locavore".
Below, I have reposted a note originally posted on facebook a few months ago. I think it is a good base to begin what I hope will be a long-term, fruitful conversation. Enjoy (and hope to hear from you soon).
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"Read before you starve"
Having been immersed in everything agriculture for the last 6 months or so, I've begun to realize that most people are not only unaware of where the food that sustains their ability to live comes from but also that they simply don't care. Although I understand that most people do not have the farming background that I am so fortunate to have experienced, this still troubles me.
Apart from, what I will call, the politics of food (which I will touch briefly on later), there's seems to be an illogical disconnect between field, fork and mouth. I assume that most people realize that what they put into their bodies was at one time a part of this earth, either plant or animal. However, in a time where there are now supermarkets enclosed in mega-retail outlets (ahem Wal-Mart), most people I've spoken with don't give a second thought to buying the cheapest, most readily available meat and produce they can find.
And here lies the problem. It is the disconnect that I mention above. When people buy all of their food directly from supermarkets (whether it's Whole Foods or Food Lion), they fail to recognize the overly laborious work that small time farmers put in to make ends meat. By and large (and thankfully now this is beginning to change), the food you buy in a traditional supermarket comes from two places: 1) A factory farm in the US 2) Somewhere outside of the United States that can provide the product to the corporation at a drastically reduced price. By supporting this kind of blind American consumerism, you are basically giving small farmers a big "fuck you".
Now, do I expect you all to go out and find your nearest farmers market or commit a year of your life to working on an organic farm? Of course not. What I do hope however, is that from this moment on, you will THINK. I am as guilty (and I use the term in a completely non-accusatory way) as anyone else of basing my food consumption on convenience. I shop at Whole Foods and will even hit up Giant every now and then. However, the one thing that I always do is think about where the food I'm purchasing comes from, and how, in turn it affects those who provide it.
The reasons for supporting local agriculture are substantial. There are environmental, economic and even social justice issues involved. However, to begin with I'd like to talk a little about why consuming without contemplating is more dangerous than you think. Putting aside the fact that factory farms push small farmers out of business, their production techniques are often damaging to the environment. Factory farms are driven by supply. They do not operate by the normal economic model of supply and demand. For them, the more that can be produced the better. If you can sell it at a lower price, more large corporations will want to buy it. The lower the purchase price, the higher the mark up when it finally gets to you.
Well isn't producing an excess amount of food good for everyone? Can't this help feed the hungry? While there are some larger farms that do operate gleaning (look it up) programs, most are not as socially responsible. In order to produce such a large quantity of goods, these factory farms throw environmental stewardship practices out the window. Among many things, they use fertilizer at rates well above the recommended university level. This depletes the land of its natural nutritional bounty and often leads to nutrient and sediment runoff that pollutes our rivers, lakes and steams. I could go on and on, but if you're interested I can always share more information with you.
Furthermore, the benefits of supporting sustainable agriculture go far beyond the environmental benefits (I know, we're not ALL tree huggers). When you choose to buy local you are not just contributing to the fiscal viability of small farmers but you are supporting the history of this country and a distinctive way of life. Lots of us have either grown up or migrated to urban areas and it's important to remember that for a large part of the population in this country, dirt roads and wire fences are still a relevant part of their lives. Not to mention the fact that when you buy local, you are getting the absolute freshest, most delicious products you could ever ask for. Anyone who is not aware of the difference between store bought and farm fresh produce is missing out on a flavor revolution.
I'm not going to try and fool anyone; buying locally produced products costs more. But only in dollars and cents. The cost of NOT buying from, and thus supporting, local farms is much greater. Aside from the environmental degradation caused by large-scale farming operations, not having local sources of food is a formula for disaster.
Greg, aren't you being a little bit pessimistic? There are always fruits and vegetables at my local grocery store. Right, there are. But the one thing most people don't think about when cutting that tomato or peeling that avocado is distance. Over the past 50 years, the development of worldwide transportation systems has completely changed how our food is delivered to us. With food able to be transported over hundreds of thousands of miles in a matter of hours, grocery chains no longer have to rely on the seasons to determine what fruits and veggies they have to sell. You want peaches in December? Sure! We'll just get them from Argentina. You want strawberries in August? Sure! We'll just ship them in from California. You want lead tainted children's toys? Sure! We'll have them sent in from China. You laugh, but the model is true. Whether it's children's toys or our food, American corporations go to where the purchase price is cheapest because they know Americans will only pay the bare minimum. And don't even get me started on the transportation costs and it's effect on the environment. Just think about this, by the time you sink your teeth into that naval orange, it's been transported hundreds of miles, using x amount of gasoline and polluting the environment during the entire trip. And if there is ever a worldwide catastrophe that cut these transportation lines, where do you think you're food will come from? Yes, that's right, those small, local farmers you refused to support because their apples cost a few more cents a pound than the ones at the grocery store.
However, it is not just consumer choice that drives how the agriculture industry is run. As in most other things in this town, politics play a huge role. Every five years, Congress attempts to pass a national Farm Bill that basically lays out funding and policy for the agriculture industry over the next five years. Contained in the bill is funding for farmland protection program, money for food stamps and other nutritional programs (i.e. farm fresh school lunch programs), dedicated revenue sources for environmental stewardship programs and much much more. Historically, and this continues to be true to this day, the bill has favored the largest farm lobbying groups in the country. To many people's surprise, the strongest lobbies in the country (ag wise and this is debatable in close ag circles) are the National Corn Growers Association and the National SoyBean Association. Why? These are two groups whose constituencies benefit most from the Farm Bill? Why? Because farmers that grow corn and soybeans receive the largest amount of government subsidies. Why? Ethanol production!! As to not go too much into something most of you have no interest in, the Farm Bill matters. In fact, it matters a lot. Currently, Congress is in conference committee discussing the provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill. Looks like conservation programs and nutrition programs are going to receive much needed funding. Everyone cross their fingers.
But I live in or near a city, what can I do to help support local farmers? Farmers markets. There are thriving farmers markets in almost every large or medium sized city in the country. Go to them. Even if you only buy 10% of your totally food intake at these markets, you are doing more good than you'll ever imagine. Another possibility is to join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. The way CSA's work is that you pay a farmer a certain amount of money at the beginning of each season, a "share" if you will. In return, you receive whatever fresh produce is available each week of the entire season. The idea is helping farmers pay for expenses in the beginning of the season (when revenue is low) will help them out economically so they can provide “free” produce to you later in the season (when revenue is high). If you're interested in finding a farmers market or CSA in your area, see the links below:
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.sare.org/csa/index.htm
I'm sorry that this entry is not as coherent as I would like it to be. There is just so much information I wanted to share with all of you, and I hope at least some of it has gotten through my rambling. But back to my point, please THINK. Think about where your food comes from. Think about the people who produce it. Think about the environmental and economic impacts of agriculture. And finally, think about the choices you make everyday. Life is all about choices, and what we eat and how we eat may possibly be some of the most important choices we make everyday.
And as a dust bowl farmer once said, "There were times when I wished all those sons-of-bitches would stave. Now I'm afraid they're actually going to"
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