Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

 Farmers markets feed the 100-mile diet
http://cnn.nl/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/31/buying.local.food/index.html

CNN.COM

Concerned foodies vow to buy only locally grown food in September
Freshness, conserving energy, contributing to local economy
Farmers markets may be open limited days, hours
By Victoria Spencer

(LifeWire) -- If the food hasn't been grown within 100 miles of where  
we live -- we won't buy it. That is the pledge concerned foodies  
across the country are taking for the entire month of September. At  
its extreme, the 100-mile diet means no coffee, no spices and no  
chocolate. Most people don't go that far, but they do embrace buying  
food grown and raised locally where possible. Freshness, energy  
conservation and contributing to the regional economy are among the  
reasons people offer for buying local food. It's a growing trend  
across the country.

Farmers markets

Estimated sales at farmers markets rose from $888 million in 2000 to  
$1 billion in 2005, according to a 2006 USDA survey. There are now  
more than 4,300 markets nationwide -- an 18 percent increase from  
1994 through 2006 -- where local farmers sell directly to the public  
the fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and baked  
goods they have grown, raised, caught and made. Shoppers surveyed  
since 1990 say they most appreciate farmers markets for their high- 
quality, fresh produce -- the vegetables, herbs and fruits often are  
harvested within 24 hours of being sold. Produce sold in  
supermarkets, on the other hand, has traveled an average of 1,300  
miles from farm to shelf, according to the University of  
Massachusetts Extension, and is chosen for its ability to withstand  
industrial harvesting and shipping.

Shopping at a farmers market, though, is not for everyone. For  
starters, the markets usually are held outdoors, once or twice a  
week, so convenience is an issue. Also, vendors sell what is in  
season locally, which means fragrant strawberries in the late spring  
but not in the winter. In some ways, though, farmers markets offer  
more choice. Sheila Neal, manager of the Carrboro Farmers' Market in  
North Carolina, says that farmers markets sell "a diversity and  
variety of fruit and vegetables not found in the supermarket." While  
a grocery store may carry three varieties of pears year round, an  
orchard stand at the market may offer more than 10 varieties when the  
harvest is at its peak.

How do prices at farmer's markets compare to those offered by  
supermarkets or grocery stores? There is little current research on  
the subject and what is available looks at small sample sizes. Two  
older, more rigorous studies, one from 1994 and the other from 2002,  
give the price advantage to farmers markets. "Experience with my own  
market suggests that there is a relative price advantage with  
supermarkets because of economies of scale. But I suspect price  
differentials vary widely from community to community," according to  
Duncan L. Hilchey, an agriculture development specialist with the  
Community and Rural Development Institute at Cornell University. He  
added that "when you add up all the external costs such as  
environmental damage, the pollution generated by long-haul transport,  
water supply subsidies to Western farmers (who are large suppliers of  
supermarket produce), and the social costs of poorly treated farm  
labor, I believe you will find that food purchased from you local  
farmers market is much cheaper."

Social, environmental reasons

Buying local food also can be a social statement. Shoppers buying  
from local farms are supporting the regional economy, helping to  
preserve family farms and getting to know the people who raise their  
food. There's also an environmental benefit to buying local food.  
Farms are relatively close to the markets where they sell their food  
(usually within 50 to 250 miles), so they use less energy and other  
resources getting their produce to market. Responding to consumer  
demand, large and small food store retailers have increased the  
amount of organic food on sale but the larger operations, in  
particular, face challenges in buying local given their high-volume  
and centralized distribution systems. Whole Foods Market Inc., which  
operates a regional distribution system, has hired foragers to seek  
out more regional items for their stores.

Taking a share in a farm

Community supported agriculture groups, or CSAs, are one way to take  
buying local food a step further. By paying to join a CSA farm,  
consumers essentially take a share in the farm for the season,  
typically late spring through early fall, and in return receive a box  
of produce from the farm each week. New Yorker Mary Jo Johnson says  
being part of Norwich Hill Farm CSA "has helped me to try a lot of  
things I'd never tried before, like kale and kohlrabi." Others say  
the unpredictability and, sometimes, unfamiliarity of the produce  
makes it hard to prepare meals but CSAs usually provide advice and  
recipes to help. For CSA member Johnson, the motivation for shopping  
local is both political and practical. "It makes me feel connected to  
the people who are producing what I need for my health," she said.  
And, it is "so much fun."