Free Essay Sample about Locavores

Where do you buy your groceries? The supermarket? Your local farmers market? Maybe you have a service that delivers right to your doorstep. Wherever you shop for food, have you ever wondered where it came from, or how far it might have traveled to arrive in your town? Food can travel far and wide to reach you, but this excessive travel can be harmful to the environment. Locavores are people who choose to eat exclusively local food, due to the benefits that other food fails to provide. Eating locally grown food is healthier for air quality air pollution, supports local farmers, and results in fresher and tastier food. 

One benefit of being a locavore- or to put it simply, eating locally, is that you reduce air quality and pollution. Transporting food and goods release excessive amounts of harmful emissions into the air, so the less they must travel, the better. Transport emissions are greater than the emissions released from wholesale or retail (Source D). Local goods travel a shorter distance to reach consumers, resulting in fewer emissions than a global import. In fact, a research study in 2005 conducted by the Journal Food Policy, showed that the miles that organic food travels creates so much damage, that buying organic food is outweighed (source A). This new way of eating seems to be the most effective solution for the world.

Another important fact about eating locally is that it supports your local farmers. After a major decrease in independant farms, localvores have been able to increase this number of farms by 20% in the past six years according to the Agriculture Department (Source E). Keeping these farms in business is important because they conserve a greater amount of natural resources than bigger establishments, therefore benefiting the environment more. This fact has not gone unnoticed- the 2008 Farm Bill that was passed gave 2.3 billion dollars to producing specialty crops that are specifically grown by smaller farms. These crops include strawberries, eggplants, and salad greens (Source E). These small farms typically have a wider variation due to the lack of vast demand for their crops, therefore giving extra time to the farmers to grow produce that aren't typically grown by bigger corporations.

Eating local food is beneficial for the consumer as well. Due to the local produce being picked and sold in 24 hours, the food is much fresher than the ones in supermarkets, which have been sitting for weeks. The nutritional value of food also decreases in time, making locally grown products much healthier (Source A). The most nutritious and fresh food options come from local farmers, and are not found in a supermarket. If you've ever wondered why farmers market food tastes better, they are sure to be fresher and tastier- along with all of their natural nutrients that havent been lost over time. Although we as humans aren't greatly nutrient deprived (Source B), it can never hurt to eat fresher and more sustainable foods. And even if the prices are a bit higher, you still pay for more than the grocery store provides.

Eating locally can help save our planet, benefit our community farmers, and give consumers a tastier option for food. Although these independant farms haven't been entirely recognized by the nation, they are growing to be a great solution to minimizing air pollution, and receiving tastier food.