| In terms of food, “local” means more than just “near.” It also implies small-scale and environmentally-responsible. “Near” may be as far away as within a 100- or 150-mile radius of home, roughly the distance you can drive back and forth within a day. “Local food” comes from careful operations, often family-run, whose owners want to create an excellent product with unique character. Usually they are “small businesses,” or even “microenterprises,” as economists say, meaning that they have only a few employees, and they are independent.
When we speak about “local food,” we’re talking about food produced by folks who have a stake in the well-being of their land. Ideally, they’re making an effort to take care of the soil, water and other resources on their farm with the best environmentally-friendly practices possible. As part of that effort, many local farms use “sustainable” or “organic” methods, taking special steps – possibly even becoming “certified” by a state or federal agency -- to ensure they’re protecting their land and animals. Often, they prioritize pasture-based farming. Such farmers ensure their animals graze outside in the fresh air and sunshine, instead of living indoors in the crowded enclosures that are all too common on typical factory farms.
Some “local” farmers do employ some methods that are considered “conventional,” including using synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. Yet, chances are they’re not doing so lightly. Most small-scale farmers care deeply about their land and hope to keep a clean, healthy place thriving for family members down the road. Even more pragmatically, they aim to maintain their reputations around home, because the local community can make or break their business. Just like folks won’t buy meat from the butcher in town, if he’s known for a dirty shop and bleached meat, local yokels know who has the best food.
If your house is down the road from a large industrial agricultural operation, it might technically be “local,” in that it is “near.” But it probably isn’t “local” in spirit. Most likely, it wouldn’t have any traditional ties or loyalties to the community. It may have headquarters hundreds of miles away. Possibly, the local people don’t even have an outlet to buy the food the ag giant produces, because it’s all shipped across the country.
Given so many variables, “local” food will vary. Some local foods may literally come from next door, while others will come from a farther distance. Some will come from farms tended with time-honored traditions, while others will be brand new. Some will utilize conventional farming methods, while others will go above-and-beyond federal organic standards. Yet all local farms have one thing in common: They enable us as consumers to judge the farming, harvesting and slaughtering methods for ourselves. The key is that we as customers can know and trust the product – whether it’s peaches or pecans or pork -- because we know and trust the producer.
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