Friday, May 25, 2007

living local.

food is a highly political matter. and it is an issue that we are all intimately involved with. as organic food becomes more profitable, the industry's practices are beginning to mirror big agribusiness (factory farming, long distance travel, corporate ownership.) "organic" is no longer a mark of sustainability but eating food that is harvested locally supports small farms and businesses, saves energy, and connects you to a local land base (even mainstream media outlets like Time Magazine and NPR have begun to cover the benefits of eating local.) maintaining your own garden, picking up a weekly box of goods from an area farm in the form of a CSA, or buying produce at farmer's markets, you can build your own relationships to food, to seasons, and to location.

and the politics of location are central to this discussion. access to any produce, let alone local produce, is nearly impossible in some urban neighborhoods.
it is also common knowledge that a bag of highly processed and packaged potato chips is cheaper to buy than some fresh potatoes. (the reason for this, as Michael Pollen explains in his excellent NY Times essay You Are What You Grow is farm subsidies. a policy that is rarely debated but has global impacts on labor, the environment and health.) in response to these inequities of social location food justice activists are fighting to bring healthy and affordable food options to their communities through community gardens, CSAs and co-ops.

connection to a local food shed is not mere "consumer activism." it is a matter of security, health and advocacy.

resources:
-the 100 Mile Diet website has a guide for getting started
-
Local Harvest can help you locate farmer's markets and CSA's in your area
-get tips and ideas from the group blog
EatLocalChallenge.com


1 comment:

Unknown said...

_Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life_ by Barbara Kingsolver seems to address some of these issues too. I haven't read it yet...I have it on hold at the library...another good sustainable practice! :)