It takes a community to support farms. What’s the use of farmers growing grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables if they have no viable place to sell these products? Many people give lip-service to the concept of supporting their local farmers, but farmers need more than a few random believers. We need communities.
In this article, Grist writer Steph Larsen eloquently presents the range of services required in communities to create thriving local food exchanges. Not only do we need farmers, but “local butchers, bakers and millers, local truck drivers, local grocers, and a community that supports them in all their efforts.”
She goes on to say, “If growing a local food system is our goal, it must begin with vibrant communities, then follow with genuine opportunities for careers everywhere in the food chain. Expanding our policy solutions beyond producers will help the idea of local food move forward from a trend to a permanent fixture of our food system.”
What’s going on in your local food shed that you can hook into? Are you a grower or producer? Would you like a career somewhere in the food chain? Even if neither of those apply, you do eat every day. Think about where your food comes from. Support your local farmer.