The whole local food thing has a blind spot nobody talks about

I keep seeing people push farmers markets as the climate solution, but I live in rural Montana and our market runs maybe 16 weeks a year. Meanwhile the transport trucks rolling past my house are hauling produce from California 800 miles away because people want tomatoes in January. Is local really always better if it means driving to three different farms burning gas yourself, or should we be looking at the full picture like shelf life and spoilage rates? I crunched the numbers on my own grocery trips last summer and the market route actually had a higher carbon footprint per item. How do you all balance the ideal with what's practical?

2 comments

2 Comments

victor_butler504d ago

That line about "driving to three different farms burning gas yourself" really hit home for me. I did the same thing last summer up here in Vermont, driving 45 minutes round trip to a farm stand that only had kale and zucchini, then another stop for eggs. By the time I got home I'd burned more fuel than if I'd just hit the one grocery store. It's frustrating because the idea feels so right but the math doesn't always add up for people outside of cities. I think there's a middle ground somewhere but it's hard to find when you're just trying to feed your family.

allen.quinn4d ago

Gotta push back a little here @victor_butler50. I think the math works differently if you plan better. Find one farm that does eggs, meat, and produce together instead of hitting three separate places. Most farms near me will let you order online and pick everything up at once. Cuts the drive to one round trip and you're still supporting local.