{this week on the farm...}
Local vs Global which is better? In my opinion both have merit.
Each have important roles to play in our lives and in the lives of everyone around the world This is one debate that needs to stop, there is no perfect system, both have faults. North Americans have access to the most affordable, safe, plentiful food ever, I believe it is our responsibility, both as consumers and producers to work towards helping those around the world to create affordable, safe, plentiful food systems for themselves through local and global marketing.
Local Food System:
What is it?:
Gardening (the ultimate local food system) or directly selling goods from farmer to consumer, often at a farmers market, CSA(community sustained agriculture), local food stores or through a farm visit.
Why is it important?
-Local produce tastes the best!
-Food has to travel less
-Connects farmers with consumers
-Support locals economy
-Helps to create food culture. All traditional food cultures are based on what people had available to them. If we want a food culture that is more than Coke and McDonald's, we need to pay attention to food seasonality and what is nearby.
What are the draw backs?
-Unequal distribution of food, if food was only sold locally, western Canada would have way too much food and countries like Singapore would have almost no food
-it is inconvenient, farmer's markets are often only once a week, farmers may not have what you want, meat often has to be bought frozen and in large quantity.
-it is risky, if frost or disease can wipe out entire area's crops
-not much grows in Canada 6 months of the year
- it can expensive, in order for local farmer to make a profit they need to calculate cost of seed, their labor, any pesticide or fertilizer cost, as well as the cost of the farmers market table and their time selling. that will often add up to a higher coast than what you pay at the grocery store.
I would say 60-70% of the food we eat food is local, I grow a garden, we eat our own beef, and we love supporting our neighbors. I read that if we all eat only 30% local we could drastically lower the environment impact of food (I wish I had a reference for that, you are just going to have to trust me, I likely read it in the western producer :)
Global Marketing:
What is it:
Most food bought in a grocery store:
-Produce: farmers sell their produce to marketing board or co-operative like Peak of the Market or BC tree fruit, these companies package and distribute the produce.
-Meat: animals are sold to finishers (farmers who buy "teenager" animals and feed them until they are ready to slaughter) or directly to slaughtering plants, where the meat killed and partially butchered in halves or quarters and then sold to grocery store for further cutting and packaging
-Grain/legumes: sold to grain buyers and shipped all over the world before it is milled into flour or packaged and sold, grain tends to travel more miles than other goods because it is the least perishable of all goods.
Why is it important?
-It feeds the world!
Grain/legumes are the most important global crop because they are easily transported and store well. They are universally eaten (nearly every culture eats wheat/ rice/ corn) but very few countries grow enough food to feed their own populations, Canada is able to produce far more grain than we can consume.
-Global marketing is important for food security. In the past, local food was the only accessible food and for thousand of years communities experienced famine because of localized drought or crop disease. The global food market has made these types of famine rare, the famines we hear about now have more to do with political issues than global food shortage.
-The global food system has made us healthier by giving us access to fruit and veggies throughout the year
-The global food system also allow us to experience food we wouldn't normally have, things like bananas, pineapple, avocado, quinoa, bok choy. It is good to enjoy these crops but we do need to see them as luxuries.
What are the draw backs?
- Sometimes food travels a long way, and this has an environmental impact. While it is necessary in many cases, it does seem excessive to buy produce from around the world, especially if it's grown in your own country.
-Those who can pay more get more: many countries exploit their own people in order to produce luxury goods for developed nations, things like coffee, chocolate, wine. This has been the case for hundreds of years, these goods were among the first globally traded commodities. The increasing globalization of our world has brought attention to these injustices and many consumers are choosing to buy fair trade product, allowing farmers in developing nations to make a better wage.
-The global food system separates producer from consumer, lending itself to misinformation.
I choose both Local and Global, each compliment where the other fail, we need one as much as the other, in my opinion there is no debate!
2 comments:
Well said!
thanks for this. Always good to hear from the farmers.
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