The beautiful bunch of kale, seasonal fruits, crafted cheeses and freshly baked bread are all results of a local agriculture economy.
Have you ever thought about buying locally? Or do you know what does it mean?
Buying locally sourced food means choosing nutrition grown and harvested close to where you live offering you countless benefits!
As of now, there is no official distance people agreed on for what counts as eating locally. It leaves a room for -you- to decide what does eating locally represent? For some consumers, it is food harvested within 300 km radius, while for others it is food harvested within the same country.
There is no right or wrong. The true intention is what matters. Also, being able to choose food from your local agriculture also depends on the specific production in your area.
Somewhere, the agricultural production ability is higher, therefore, people in living in these areas have a wider choice to choose from. Other have their choices more limited.
Also, buying from your local agriculture is a decision that is not necessarily easy to make! It may not always be the most convenient option, however, it might be totally worth it in the long run.
Quality of the food
Locally grown food is often pesticides free. Many of the local farmers choose rather natural and organic pest repellants so that they can preserve the health and nutritions of the food you are buying. That is something you can not really say about mass produced, large-scale food production.
Lack of chemicals helps you to nurture yourself with a food that consists of a higher-nutrient content. Also, local agriculture “forces” you to eat seasonally. Which is also a reason why the food has flavours much fuller resulting in a better overall taste.
In case you are sensitive to food chemicals, pesticides-free food from local agriculture is a great option. This type of food might help to support any digestion issues people with food allergies are facing.
Environmental benefits
When you decide to buy your food from local agriculture, you are helping to preserve small farm lands. Eating local food protects farmland. If the land is not utilised by small scale farms, it might otherwise be used for industrial or commercial purpose.
In my opinion, what is the most important benefit for the whole ecosystem is the ability of farmland to attract other types of biodiversity and give different animal species like insects and birds a place to live and thrive.
Economical benefits
If you want to enhance the economy in your country, buy from local agriculture. It creates jobs. You are helping your friends, neighbours and other members of the community to find sustainable employment.
So, when you choose to spend your money on food from local agriculture, you choose to spend them within your community instead of large supermarket chains.
Where to buy from local agriculture
Nowadays, almost every bigger city is organising farmer’s markets. These markets lately gained in their popularity, and it is THE place for sustainably conscious consumers where they can find and purchase foods grown from local agriculture.
Depending on your community , farmer’s markets may take place one time per week in summer season to once a month in winter season. It likely depends on the climate you live in.
It’s worth it!
If you will wake up one day, and make the decision to go the “harder” way about your nutrition, the benefits are countless. Not only you are supporting your local economy, contributing to your community, you are also consciously improving your health while doing your part to protect the environment!
