local

“She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard” Prov 31: 16 Buy local Locally grown food refers to food that is grown or produced, processed and then sold within a certain area. Buying local is starting to grow in importance and popularity as people are beginning to consider the impact of their carbon footprint on the environment through food consumption and purchase. Locally grown food creates important economic opportunities, provides health benefits and helps to reduce environmental impact. It also helps bring the community together and gives people the opportunity to make a difference. Benefits of buying local: Locally grown food is full of flavour. Crops grown locally are picked/harvested at their peak of ripeness and most times are sold to local markets within 24 hours of harvest. Eating local promotes eating seasonally. It is better to purchases fruit/vegetables in their correct season, they taste better and are full of flavour as compared to those grown all year around out of season. Local food has more nutrients. This is due to food spending a shorter time between harvest and your table Buying local supports the local economy. The money spent buying locally goes back to local farmers and is reinvested in businesses and services provided in your community Buying locally benefits the environment because it helps grow and maintain farmland and green land in your area Promotes accountability. Food that is grown locally allows customers to have a better understanding of how and where the food is grown. This awareness encourages farmers to use sustainable agricultural practices and be accountable for safe ecological practices for example not using pesticides. Preserve genetic diversity. Commercial farms use modern technologies from certain genetic strands and produce genetically produced food. Local farmers also known as small scale farmers use a variety of produce types with lots of colour that helps preserve genetic diversity of food. Eating more local food reduces carbon dioxide emissions by reducing the distance food travels from farm to consumer Photo by Shanice Garcia on Unsplash