One of the niche areas I focus my coaching practice on is working with individuals who want to reduce their environmental footprint; to learn new choices or approaches that create greater planetary health. One area I am particularly passionate about is food. It is part of my personal mission to help people understand why and how to make different food choices; choices that include understanding the terms sustainable, organic, conventional, etc., exploring traditional (“old-fashioned”) food preparation methods, building relationships with local farmers, and having the peace-of-mind of knowing where your food comes from.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a new USDA initiative called “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” that is focused on connecting local consumers with local food producers in an effort to revitalize communities. I wanted to add to my previous comments about the importance of this initiative and of buying locally grown food.
Environmentally speaking, food purchased in the same local region where it was produced does not require the massive amounts of fuel and energy as most of the food you find in the average supermarket. Most of the fresh foods sold in the US today are grown in California, Florida, or Washington, and are then shipped to your local store. It is estimated that food travels an average of 1,300 miles from farm to table! That’s a whole lot of carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials.
Economically speaking, buying locally, and especially direct from the farmer, ensures that the farmers receive a larger share of the profit for their food and helps to make farming more profitable (and selling farmland for development less attractive). Local farmers spend their money with local merchants. The money stays in town where it benefits everyone and builds a stronger local economy. Independent, family-owned farms supply more local jobs and contribute to the local economy at higher rates than do large, corporate-owned farms.
And from a health standpoint, purchasing food direct from the farmers who grew/raised it allows for a few things to happen:
- Most local farm operations are smaller and more open than large factory farms. You can go and visit and explore firsthand how the animals and the people working the farm are cared for and to learn about the processes involved in growing and producing your food.
- Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations.
- Most local farmers also live on the farms they work. They have a relationship with the land there and a vested interest in taking proper measures to keep their land and environment healthy so it will continue to produce healthy food.
- Local produce is frequently picked within a day or two of the consumer’s purchase. The longer the fruit/vegetable is allowed to ripen and mature in the earth, the more nutrients (and flavor) it will contain. In many cases, you can go right to the farm or orchard and pick your produce yourself.
There are so many reasons to seek out local sources of food. And finding sources close to you is pretty easy these days. Here is a link to one of many websites where you can search for local farmers’ markets, farms, CSAs, and more. http://www.localharvest.org
I’ll talk about CSAs and some of the local food opportunities in my community in my next post. In the meantime, let me know if you want to explore your personal food choices and nutrition in detail. I’d love to help you get started.
