Current Projects
- Farm to School
- Buy Local Campaign
- Locally Grown Directory
- Food System Assessment
- Food Policy Councils
WFFC
Jen Anonia
President
Lynne
Fessenden
Executive Director
Megan
Kemple
Farm to School Program Coordinator
Local Food Systems
What is a Local Food System? | Ten Reasons to Buy Local Food
Ten Ways to Support a Healthy Lane County Food System
What
is a Local Food System?
Our core local food system includes all of the food producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and restauranteurs who operate in Lane County. The wider local food system includes FOOD for Lane County, other governmental and non-profit hunger relief programs, OSU Lane County Extension, school food programs, and other food and farming organizations. Finally, the food system includes each one of us because we eat food.
While much of the food we eat in Lane County comes from all over the globe, we have a tremendous wealth of food grown right here. Berries and hazelnuts are two of Lane County's major crops. Lane County farms provide everything from tomatoes, peppers, and chicken to more unusual foods such as kohlrabi and goat cheese. Various foods are processed in Lane County as well. You can support the local economy, as well as your taste buds, by enjoying both locally-grown and locally-processed foods.
1. Locally grown food tastes better.
Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the
past day or two. It's crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. Produce flown
or trucked in from California, Florida, Chile or Holland is, quite understandably,
much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food
travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles. In a week-long (or more)
delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells
shrink, and produce loses its vitality.
2. Local produce is better for you.
A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.
4. Local food is GMO-free.
Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn't use it even if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred the old-fashioned way, as nature intended.
5. Local food supports local farm families.
With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.
6. Local food builds community.
When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food. In many cases, it gives you access to a farm where your children and grandchildren can go to learn about nature and agriculture. Relationships built on understanding and trust can thrive.
7. Local food preserves open space.
As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.
8. Local food keeps your taxes in check.
Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 34 cents on services.
9. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife.
A well-managed family farm is a place where
the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards
of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients
used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help
combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice
conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by
vehicles and industry. In addition, the habitat of a farm - the patchwork
of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings - is the perfect environment
for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, killdeer,
herons, bats, and rabbits.
10. Local food is about the future.
By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.
Buy local food. Sustain local farms.
©2001 Growing
for Market. Permission to print and photocopy is granted.
Ten
Ways to Support a
Healthy Lane County Food System
1. Shop at your local farmers market.
A great way to meet the farmers and take your pick of Lane County's abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. Join a CSA.
Community Supported Agriculture - Buy a share in a farm and receive fresh produce throughout the season.
3. Buy locally-grown produce at the grocery store.
Some stores have "grown locally" labels. If you're not sure, ask your grocer.
4. Choose locally-made processed foods.
Lane County has an amazing array of quality
food processors. Chips and dips, salsas and sauces, pies and pastries,
pickles and pasta, bread and bagels, tofu and yogurt-you name it, there's
a local company making it!
5. Look for locally-grown meats, poultry, and eggs.
Smaller scale local farms tend towards more humane and sustainable methods of raising livestock.
6. Eat at restaurants that use local ingredients.
Many of the area's finest restaurants thrive on locally-produced ingredients because of their quality and freshness.
7. Grow your own veggies at home or in a community garden.
Not only can you provide fresh food for you and your family, you can plant an extra row for the hungry and donate the produce to FOOD for Lane County or a food pantry.
8. Educate yourself about our local food system.
Become familiar with the growers, processors, and organizations involved in supplying and distributing your community's food.
9. Teach your kids where the food they eat comes from.
Take advantage of opportunities to visit local farms and businesses. Learn where your food comes from and what's involved in getting it to the table.
10. Become a member of the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition.
Learn more about food-related issues
in our community-get involved!
Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
PO Box 41672, Eugene OR 97404-0389 (541) 341-1216
E-Mail WFFC (this
page last updated on Jan. 20, 2008)