Why go local?

I've heard a variety reasons why there is so much interest in local consumption these days, especially as it relates to local food. Slow Food USA sums up most of the reasons I have come across in there mission statement; "Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice – in essence, a food system that is good, clean, and fair."

I've been interested to see that among "foodies", this bias toward local being better is not a given. See Heath Putnam's riff on the subject here (hat tip to From the Back Kitchen). Heath grows wooly pigs in Reardan, WA, but laments that many folks in California don't want to buy his pigs because they aren't local. In response and out of frustration he pushes back on this local food logic of higher quality, arguing that local does not necessarily equate to better.

On the way to challenging the quality question Heath takes a shot at the sustainability issue as well. Could it be that shipping thousands of pounds of food using one truck over a long distance is more environmentally sustainable than having dozens of local farmers all driving their own cars to market with small payloads, and running their farms without the efficiencies of the larger farms?

He doesn't question the social justice and fairness issue, but there are good arguments out there that local isn't necessarily more just. Someone might contend that our large economy of food and other stuff systematically lifts poor people from around the world out of poverty and creates efficiencies that are better for animals and people.

For me, and I don't presume to speak for anyone else in the Goodwin house, none of the above reasons really get to the heart of what has drawn us into this local consumption experiment. I could convincingly lose all of the above arguments, which I don't think I would, and I still would be just as hopeful about this journey on the road less traveled. The sustainability and quality conversations have been a suprising benefit. As we get into these discussions we often find ourselves saying, "Oh, that's another good reason to buy local." The justice conversation was in the mix for us from the beginning but it's more than that.

The bottom line for me is that we are trying to re-weave the fabric of community that has been diminished by our patterns of consumption. We have been relationally adrift in an ocean of abundance. I knew we might be onto something when we sat down to eat one night early on in our experiment and we prayed as we always do, thanking God for our food. But we also spontaneously felt led to pray for all the people who played a part in providing us with the food. And for the first time in our lives we had a name, a picture in our minds, a friendship, to go with every ingredient on the table. That is definitely worth an Amen.

What about you? What drives you to "go local"? What appeals to you? What is satisfying about it? Or do you think that locavore logic is suspect? Do you think it is mostly nostalgia?   

Comments

[Keith]

Q: What drives you to "go local"?
A: Some of it is a reaction to mass production and mass marketing, where the bottom line is capital gains. Supposedly, such a system should self-correct to bring me what "appeals" and "satisfies" me. But what satisfies me is simplicity, nurturing, building, creating, problem solving, nature, friendships and helping somebody, especially somebody I know. For reasons I'm not even quite sure of, I'm growingly offended at the lack of compassion/humanity (and downright cruelty in some cases) from this detached system.

Q: Do you think that locavore logic is suspect? Do you think it is mostly nostalgia?
A: I don't think it is pie in the sky. Something is really broken. I am not sure how "locavoring" fits into the solution. The most local of "locavoring" is interaction with neighbors which are probably a better cross-section of reality, and more difficult in all likelyhood.

I think I have the flu. I hope that made some sense.

[Dana Kangas]

I am really sensitive to greed and consumerism when I go to any store. The look in people's eyes...and they way adults teach kids to be "grabby" just sickens me. I think I hate it more when I see it in myself.

By shopping local, it takes more time and effort. You have to think before you buy (which is so counter-cultural). I am not perfect at shopping local...but I am working on being better.

The drive to "shop local" for me came after reading the book of Nehemiah in the Bible. Everyone took part in building the wall...the bakers, farmers, shepherds, etc...and then theyy took care of each other because they were in close proximity.

My husband's family was a farming family until firestorm in 1991. He has shared the difficulties of being a family that is trying to make a living off of just farming. I want to support those families that spend their days cultivating products for people in my community.

I can do that by buying direct and being in community with them...by living life together. Because we can't do it all on our own. I need the guy that grows wheat and the family that raises pigs. I have something to offer them in return...and in that exchange...we can encourage one another to give glory to the One who gives us everything that we have on this earth.

Because everything I own belongs to the Father...I am borrowing it from the Lord. As soon as I take my eyes off of Him, I have perverted the blessings that He has given me.

I shop local so that I can remember who is the author and perfecter of my faith.

[nancy]

Craig, thanks for asking the question because I love reading the responses. I resonate with everything that's been said so far. The simplicity, the relationships, the joy that comes when we don't take what we've been given to us for granted.

One of the first blessings I received when we started out was when I met Jerry Tate of Tate's Honey Farm. He lives right down the road from us! He made sure to tell me that when he's not in his shop, just get what I want from the shelf and leave my check or cash under the- well I'll let Jerry tell you that. But I've done this several times, even going into his back room to retrieve the precious stuff.

On a similar note, when Dave of Dave & Susie's Cattle Co. runs out of eggs at the Community market, he says "come by the house- I'll be home at 5:00" and I've done that several times to pick up eggs or beef. There's just something extremely satisfying about this way of doing "business." -Not just because it feels like I'm living on Little House on the Prairie, but because our transactions seem to stem from a trust and appreciation for one another.

Each day I continue to flesh out why this life is so meaningful to me/us. I haven't quite figured it all out, but I guess that's what this year is for. And for listening to and learning from all of you who embrace a similar quest.