A localvore is a person whose diet is only or partially of locally grown or produced food. Choosing to buy and eat locally grown foods is important to your own health. This is because once produce is harvested, it loses most of its nutrients. If the produce is grown locally, it gets to the consumer quicker and they get the most out of their food. Also, local foods generally taste better. By buying local, you are receiving the freshest possible produce, picked just hours before delivery to your local store. Produce that travels long distances is days older. Sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its flavor (Do Something). National Gardening By buying locally grown foods you are also helping to conserve energy and waste. The average distance our food travels is 1500 miles, mostly by air and truck, increasing our dependence on petroleum. By buying locally, you conserve the energy that’s used for transport. Also, buying produce from a farmers market or from a farm itself involves less packaging as a whole. Family farmers also tend take care of their land. They respect and value fertile soil and clean water. Their farms provide the fields, meadows, forests, ponds and buildings that are the habitat for many beloved and important species of wildlife. Also, buying local also reduces the use of fossil fuels and helps to protect the environment from harmful exhaust fumes (Do Something).
Another reason why buying local produce is a good idea is because you would be supporting local farmers and your community as a whole. The American family farmer is dwindling and fewer than 1,000,000 people (less than 1%) of Americans claim farming as a primary occupation. It’s hard to make a living when they only get less than 10 cents of every retail food dollar. By buying locally, the middleman disappears and the farmer gets the full retail price, in turn helping farmers continue to farm. Also, by getting to know the farmers who grow your food, you build a trust and a connection to your neighbors and your community. Visiting local farms with your friends and your family brings that education and appreciation to the next generation (Do Something).
By buying locally grown foods you are also helping to conserve energy and waste. The average distance our food travels is 1500 miles, mostly by air and truck, increasing our dependence on petroleum. By buying locally, you conserve the energy that’s used for transport. Also, buying produce from a farmers market or from a farm itself involves less packaging as a whole. Family farmers also tend take care of their land. They respect and value fertile soil and clean water. Their farms provide the fields, meadows, forests, ponds and buildings that are the habitat for many beloved and important species of wildlife. Also, buying local also reduces the use of fossil fuels and helps to protect the environment from harmful exhaust fumes (Do Something).
EPA
Another reason why buying local produce is a good idea is because you would be supporting local farmers and your community as a whole. The American family farmer is dwindling and fewer than 1,000,000 people (less than 1%) of Americans claim farming as a primary occupation. It’s hard to make a living when they only get less than 10 cents of every retail food dollar. By buying locally, the middleman disappears and the farmer gets the full retail price, in turn helping farmers continue to farm. Also, by getting to know the farmers who grow your food, you build a trust and a connection to your neighbors and your community. Visiting local farms with your friends and your family brings that education and appreciation to the next generation (Do Something).
-Danny Sloan