Get ready to buy local
For the past couple of years, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission has enouraged people around the state to show their support for local farms and the environment by buying local foods. The annual Buy Local Challenge begins this Saturday.
Participants can be counted by taking a pledge to eat one thing from a local farm every day of Buy Local week. Or they just make an extra effort to buy local produce during the week at one of the state's many farmers' markets. So far, 293 people have signed up, and several area counties, including Anne Arundel, Howard and Harford, have signed on.
Supporters say buying local provides consumers with fresh food. And it helps the environment because less fuel is used to transport the food. They also say if every household in the state purchased $12 worth of farm products for eight weeks, or the summer season, more than $200 million would be put back into the farmers' pockets.
If you need some ideas on what to do with local food, here are some tips and recipes.
Comments
The decrease in fuel consumption due to buying local is trivial. 83% of a food's greenhouse gas impacts originate from production, whether that occurs in Butte, Montana or Baltimore County. Buying local animal foods (beef, chicken, dairy, etc) is, at best, a cosmetic change that means little. And Perdue is local, if I recall.
Eating lower on the food chain (more plant foods, especially protein foods) will save more fuel than local beef could ever dream of.
Posted by: Mark | July 14, 2009 2:25 AM
What is the Commission doing to preserve farmland from developers or make it affordable for small organic farms?
Posted by: Lesley | July 14, 2009 8:17 AM
I think the big difference when buying locally with meats is that they are usually healthier. Local farmers tend to have free-range animals. You also know how fresh the meat is when you buy it. I agree with your point with the fuel savings being far greater with produce. Let's hope more and more people make it out to local farmer markets and continue to support our local farming industry.
Posted by: Patrick | July 14, 2009 9:54 PM