Why eat local food?

Why you should get as much of your food as possible

from farmers markets, community gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), and urban homegrown food

FLAVOR AND NUTRIENTS Fruits and vegetables

ripened to maturity on-the-vine develop richer nutrients and amazing flavor.

HEALTH Many small-scale farmers use organic

techniques or minimal chemicals. Some cannot afford full certified organic certification, but many are operating with these healthier practices. Talk to your vendors and learn what they do.

FOOD SAFETY Many of the recent salmonella and

E. coli scares trace back to massive-scale, industrial processing systems.

OPEN SPACE - By supporting local farmers, we preserve

agricultural land near the cities and towns where we live.

LOCAL ECONOMY Studies show that small farms might make almost 95 percent of farm-related expenditures
within their local communities. By contrast, large farms make less than 20 percent of farm-related expenditures locally. Local business owners are more likely to buy from other local businesses, hire local people, grow the local tax base, and strengthen the community. (Source: Sustainable Tablei )

GLOBAL WARMING The average supermarket vegetable travels 1300 to 2000 miles from farm to consumer,
burning fossil fuels and generating greenhouse gas emissions the entire way. (Source: ATTRAii)

FOOD SECURITY As the era of cheap oil draws to a close, it is becoming critical to shorten the distances.

We

need to grow food where the people are, rather than half a world away. We need to support our local farmers, to keep them in business because soon their crops may be all that we have.

TRUE COST Food from massive industrial farms isnt truly cheap. Massive industrial farms dont pay for the
pollution and damage their industrial practices are causing to waterways, topsoil, and worker health we do.

Environmental Change-Makers
www. EnviroChangeMakers.org

Transition Los Angeles

guiding our communities from oil dependence to local resilience

www.TransitionLA.org

TRUE COST Skewed government farm subsidies also help keep industrial farm prices artificially low: PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS Do you know the person who grows your food?

10 percent

of Californias subsidy recipients collected 73 percent of all federal payments. (Source: Sustainable Tableiii) At farmers markets, local CSAs,

and community gardens, you gain a face to go with your food. Get to know your farmer, his family, his land. Connect.

STRONG FAMILIES Many of the farmers at my local farmers market are part of family farms in a very
traditional sense: networks of multi-generational families working together. When we grow food at home with our children we create priceless memories and instill a skill base that will last a lifetime.

SPIRITUALITY Our spirits crave a connection with the natural world.

Thats why so many people vacation to

parks and wilderness. When we grow food ourselves, at home or near home, we touch the soil, the earth. We feel it. It changes us.

WILDLIFE Organic farms contain 85% more plant species, 33% more bats, 17% more spiders and 5% more
birds. Increased biodiversity is a happy by-product of sustainable farming practices. (Source: BBCiv)

DIVERSITY - Local farmers are also much more likely to grow heirloom varieties, helping to preserve our genetic
heritage. Preserving diversity is our insurance policy for food security as we cope with climate change.

VOTE WITH YOUR BUYING DOLLARS.

Every time you buy at the big box store or the huge supermarket chain,

you are voting against all of the above. Instead, vote for how we really want to live, and encourage your friends to do the same.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/economics/ https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farm_energy/food_miles.html iii http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/economics/ iv http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4740609.stm

ii

Environmental Change-Makers
www. EnviroChangeMakers.org

Transition Los Angeles

guiding our communities from oil dependence to local resilience

www.TransitionLA.org