WASHINGTON – Local food stands will soon be springing up all
over as farmers bring their produce to market. But consumers
may not know that choosing a locally grown peach or tomato is
more than just a matter of taste – it’s a choice that can
affect the economy, the environment, our health and the
protection of animals.
“Supporting humane, sustainable agriculture systems such as
local farmers’ markets, local food cooperatives, and community
supported agriculture programs helps animals, improves the
environment and supports farmland preservation,” said Robert
Hadad, director of farming systems for The Humane Society of
the United States (HSUS). “For these reasons and more, we urge
consumers to explore the various resources in their own
communities for supporting local agriculture.”
Purchasing Locally Helps Animals
Most of the animal products found in supermarkets come from
factory farms, where animals are raised in intensive
confinement environments that ignore even the animal’s most
basic physical and behavioral needs. These animals suffer
throughout their entire lives with no legal protection against
inhumane housing and husbandry practices. Transportation and
slaughter are regulated under federal law but there is little
or no enforcement of these laws.
If you include meat in your diet, purchasing animal products
from local family farmers gives you an opportunity to have a
voice in how the animals are raised. Grass-fed, pasture-raised
and free-range are some of the alternatives to factory farming.
By asking local farmers how they raise animals or visiting
farms for yourself, you can make an informed decision. Through
your food choices, local farmers will respond to your market
demands.
Purchasing Locally Is Good for Your Health
Many farmers who sell their products directly to consumers
follow sustainable and organic farming methods. Local farmers
can provide terrific choices in fruits, vegetables and other
food items. Increasing the consumption of vegetables, whole
grains and fruits in your diet is widely recommended to improve
overall health.
Purchasing Locally Reduces Transportation Costs Associated
with Modern Farming
The Leopold Center in Iowa explored the costs associated
with transporting food and found that the ingredients used to
make a dinner of pot roast, potatoes and vegetables will
typically have traveled over 5,000 miles to reach a dinner
table in Iowa. The same ingredients purchased locally would
have traveled only 90 miles. The Leopold Center concluded that
if only 10 percent of the food consumed in Iowa were produced
locally, a total of six million pounds of carbon dioxide
emissions would be eliminated and 340,000 gallons of diesel
fuel conserved. This example could be matched most anywhere in
this country.
Purchasing Locally Returns Decisions about Agriculture
Policy Back to Communities
Federal subsidies for agriculture total over $100 billion.
Because subsidies favor grain production, most of this money
goes to grow crops to feed livestock from factory farms such as
pigs, chickens and cows. Since the cost of production of these
crops exceeds what a farmer can recoup in sales, this federal
subsidy amounts to a welfare program for agribusinesses that
costs the average American family as much as $500 per year in
federal income taxes.
By supporting local agriculture, consumers would be helping
to make farming a profitable enterprise by paying the true cost
of food directly to the producers and returning decisions about
agriculture production to local farmers and communities.
“Everyone should care about the food that we put into our
bodies and what we feed our children,” said Hadad. “We’re
fortunate to have options, but it’s each person’s
responsibility to look beyond the sanitized, shrink wrapped
offerings at the local supermarket to consider the source of
that food. If the old adage that ‘you are what you eat’ still
applies, we’d all be better off if we gave more thought and
consideration to our food.”
The HSUS suggests that consumers explore options available
in their communities, which may include farmers’ markets, food
cooperatives and forming community supported agriculture (CSA)
groups. CSAs contract with local farmers to purchase a supply
of food throughout the growing season. Members split the
bounty. This arrangement benefits farmers by guaranteeing an
income and a market for their goods. Consumers accept some of
the risk associated with the potential for a poor harvest, but
they benefit immensely by receiving regular supplies of fresh,
locally grown produce.
