Growing locally; fresh food

Eating locally is a proposal that encourages people to grow food in their own place. People who eat locally have the chance to buy fresh food; in addition, if people do this, they contribute to protecting the environment from the greenhouse gas emission caused by vehicles that transport this food from one distant place to another. Buying fruits from other countries does not make too much sense. People have local land that they can prepare with organic products and they also can grow seasonally, there is not a better example of satisfying local taste than getting fresh food grown locally. Eating locally leads people to taking care of the environment, and not using chemical substances in farming, and by doing this it is possible to avoid many diseases caused by the quality of food that people eat today

Do you believe that growing our own food locally is a good idea? Do you do it in your garden? Well, when people grow locally they receive many benefits, because the food is fresh, and affordable, and the environment is not affected.

Most of the food we eat today is produced in distant places. It means that the food we eat or buy today is not fresh, because it has been exposed to miles and miles of transportation. This transport is powered by fossil-based fuel, and it makes the food lose quality. “The locally grown label is part of retailers' push to tap into consumer desires for fresh and safe products that support small, local farmers and help the environment because they're not trucked so far. At least one consumer survey has showed that” (Schmit, 2008, para. 4).

          In other cases, this food is grown in large extension of land and farmers use a lot of chemicals to make sure that the production is going to be a hundred percent successful. They also use chemicals to protect it from plagues without keeping in mind that this could be harmful to the environment and human health. This process is not only used in agricultural activities but also in raising animals. According to Gunderson (2008), the apple industry in Massachusetts has declined and  at the same time it is demanding to grow locally because it reduces the effect of higher fuel costs on the price of imported apple.

For example, I remember that in the past people grew and raised animals in a natural way, and there were not so many diseases as there are today. The life expectation was longer. However, we can see today that people suffer from strange diseases because man in order to get better things has created things that affect the same man. One example of this is red meat. Red meat is the number one cause of rising cholesterol in human.

Another example is when people get fruit or vegetables in a supermarket. They think that they are getting all the nutrients that they offer, but that is not true, because they do not know where that fruit or vegetable was grown, or if it was grown naturally, maybe yes or maybe not. ”You have to be smarter, look harder for the best buy out there, and buying local just makes sense; it is fresher and you are supporting the local economy” (Abelson, 2008, para. 13).

The proposal of growing locally is to encourage people to use old techniques of growing, because this guarantees that food is 99% natural and nutritious without substances that make them grow fast. According to Smith (2008), training farmers and people to give a safe taste sample is a hope of some landowners. And customers can be sure about the product they are buying.

The proposal is not only leading to growing fruit and vegetables, but also it is leading to raising animals in a natural way. For example, a chicken that is raised in 45 days  cannot be good for human health, because it naturally takes almost one year to be ready for human consumption. Imagine what those substances that accelerate their growing in these animals can do in the human body. I think that this makes the same effect in one or another way. It makes the human body grow fast in the same way it makes animals do that.

The proposal is clear and there is evidence that the way food is grown today is affecting human health. And if we do not stop this, day by day more and more diseases will appear.

However, there are some people who say that eating locally only works in rural areas, because in urban areas there is not enough space. It would be good if they reconsider their position and encourage others to do it. They can start it in the garden. “If you like the idea of growing your own food locally, you’ll be surprised at how little room you need to make a start. Window boxes are the perfect place to start, providing a great location for your own herb garden. If you are lucky enough to have a larger plot of outdoor, whether in your garden or on an allotment, you can start” (Bath Chronicle, 2008, para. 6).    

 It is clear that growing locally is a good alternative, and people can start to do it in small spaces, or even in a big pot in their own house. They can use all the organic waste to fertilize the soil.

Buy Local. Eat Local. Grow your own. You’ve probably heard these phrases in restaurants, grocery stores and everywhere. Growing our own food is what people have advocated in some countries for a long time. Food that comes from a distant place is food that has lost quality and freshness because this food is exposed to emission gas during transportation. There are some advantages of growing locally. “There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the idea that flowers and food grown locally will last longer in storage and taste better than produce brought from interstate” (Healy, 2008, para. 4).

People who grow locally can guarantee fresh food. They found that they could grow three crops a year and deliver fresher food to their markets. The alternative can be used in both urban and rural areas; local food production also affords what could prove to be self-sufficiency in this world. “When we have the national food strategy, we will look at what comparative economy system we have in the country” (Daily Observer, 2008. Para. 9).

According to Knox  (2007), there is a benefit to buying and eating locally. It supports local farmers and the protection of the environment and other important agricultural lands. Buying local reduces the amount of pollution that would otherwise be produced from shipping products long distances. In areas suffering from extremely high unemployment rates, growing locally can be an important resource in the struggle to overcome poverty and hunger.

One thing good about growing locally is that in some states in the US the results have been very positive, because people have learned that by doing this. According to Abelson (2008) the state of California is one that has established this technique and many people are selling their products in local markets.

In some places getting organic food is very expensive because it comes from a distant place, and to solve this, the proposal of growing locally would reduce this high price you have to pay for organic food. At the beginning this could be a little difficult because you are not ready, and in addition it takes time, but when you get familiarized with it, you would find it interesting and you can involve the family.

The environment has been polluted for the amount of chemical that some farmers use to make the product grow fast and protect them from plagues. This chemical sometimes goes into the same food indirectly and it sometimes goes directly into other sources that the human beings use to fulfill their needs, for example, rivers and lakes. These two provide water for human consumption, and another resource that is affected the most by these chemicals is the air and air is part of the environment.

In conclusion, the practice of growing locally leads people to get fresher food, cheap, and contribute to protect the environment. In addition, this technique can be done is a small place. You do not need large land to grow, or need to move to the country. You just do it at home.

Bibliography

Abelson, J. (2008, June 23). At a store near you, Low-Mileage Lettuce - A farm's oil-stingy plan cuts out the cross-country trek for Boston Bound greens. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

Bath Chronicle. (2008, October 16). Organic is the way to living more healthily. Retrieved on

June 15, 2009, From Lexis/Nexis database.

Gunderson, M.  (2008, September 28). Local apple growers losing ground. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

Healy, P.  (2008, December 27). Time to grow your own

Hobart Mercury (Australia). Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

Knox J. (2007, February 15). Trend is natural-Eat local push touts to farmers, ecology and taste. The Boston Globe. North; p 1.  Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

The Daily Observer. (2008 August 1). Food crisis may hit one billion. African News. Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

Schmit, J. (2008, October 28). Locally grown' sounds great, but what does it mean? Sometimes it's from small farms nearby but not always. USA TODAY Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.

Smith, R.  (2008, December 4). Local demand spurs vegetable production. Southwest Farm Press. Retrieved on June 15, 2009, from Lexis/Nexis database.