Reasons to Buy Local Food

Locally-grown food tastes better.

Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. It’s crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite understandably, much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality.

Local produce is better for you. A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some “fresh” produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.

Our vendors at the Farmers Market work tirelessly to provide Santa Fe with minimally processed, seasonal food. Be nutritious, reduce your carbon footprint, and get in touch with Mother Nature’s seasonal cycles — shop at the Farmers Market!

Locally-grown food contributes less to food waste.

On large scale farms 7% is not harvested each year because it is not “economically viable” and millions of pounds of produce are dumped after harvest because they lack “cosmetic perfection.” Adding to this, overstocking produce shelves at grocery stores leads to immense food waste. Shopping at the Farmers’ Market brings you real food at minimal waste.

40% of America’s food is thrown away! Produce sold at supermarkets often travels for up to 6 weeks, and can spoil quickly after purchase. Produce sold at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is often picked the day before coming to Market. The food you buy from your neighbors at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market stays fresh longer, resulting in less food waste and a stronger local economy.

Chain grocery stores top priority in sourcing produce is “cosmetic perfection,” stocking shelves with large, shiny fruits and vegetables. In reality, produce comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors — funky looking fruits and vegetables are often healthier and GMO and chemical free. At the Farmers’ Market, our top priority is taste and nutritional value. Sure our produce might look weird; but it’s delicious, diverse, and lots of fun to cook.

Locally-grown food preserves genetic diversity.

In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

Buying local promotes energy conservation.

Buying locally-grown foods decreases dependence on petroleum, a non-renewable energy source. One-fifth of all petroleum used in the United States is used in agriculture. Remember, the average distance food travels in distribution is 1,500 miles. By buying local, you can conserve the majority of energy used in shipping.

Locally-grown food supports local farm families.

With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder – commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food – which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

Buying at the Farmers Markets puts your money in the hands of a local farmer.  Small local farmers sell almost exclusively at the Farmers’ Market and depend on your support for their subsistence.  Contributing to their livelihood helps encourage their children to step into the profession and continue farming their family land.

Locally-grown food builds community.

When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.

Meeting and talking to farmers and food artisans is a great opportunity to learn more about how and where food is produced. The Farmers’ Market is a community hub – a place to meet up with friends, bring your children, and learn where your food comes from.

Locally-grown food preserves open space.

As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

Locally-grown food keeps your taxes in check.

Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 0.34 cents on services.

Locally-grown food helps the local economy.

For every dollar spent at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, three times as much is reinvested into our community than a dollar spent at a chain grocery. By contrast, eighty four cents of every dollar spent at a chain grocery store goes to diesel, storage, processing, and shipping costs.

Locally-grown food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.

A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry. In addition, the habitat of a farm – the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings – is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer, herons, bats, and rabbits.

Buying “green” means buying local. When you buy produce at a large grocery store, your food travels an average of 1,500 miles! This long-distance travel results in increased pollution, carbon emissions, and waste. When you buy produce at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, you food travels less than 100 miles! Your neighbors who sell at the Market grow their food in ways that nurture the earth, fostering healthy soil and healthy communities. Buy green!  Buy local!

 

Locally-grown food is about the future.

By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food. When you make this choice, you cannot help but raise the consciousness of your friends and family.

 

Adapted from Growing for Market‘s “10 Reasons to Buy Local Food” (2001)