This past Tuesday we had our second Farmer's Market of the semester! Located at the Whispering Wall from 12:00-4:00pm, this month's market featured foods from these local businesses:
Blue Ridge Bucha
Snowing in Space
Greens to Grounds
Sussex Farm
Family Ties and Pies
Ohelyeah 100% Natural Foods
Gaona Granola Co.
Bluegrass Creamery Freckles N' Friends Kettle Corn Cville Candy
In recent years, Farmers Markets have become a staple of communities, stressing the importance of eating local foods. But why is it so important? Here are 6 reasons to consider buying locally:
1. Buying locally reduces CO2 emissions. Because the food is local, it significantly decreases the distance from farm to consumer, reducing the CO2 emissions from transportation. On average, a piece of produce in the U.S. travels 1,500 miles, as opposed to local foods whose travel distance is only about 100 miles at most.(1)
2. Buying locally also protects green spaces. If farmers and local producers are making enough money to support themselves and their land, they are less likely to sell to developers.
3. Buying locally is also healthier. Because local production is restricted to seasonal food, it limits your intake of fruits and vegetables that are artificially ripened with ethylene gas. Also, cutting down the time between food production and consumption allows the food to retain more nutrients.
4. Buying locally also has economic benefits. Supporting your local food producers strengthens the local economy, allowing money to be reinvested into the community. Buying locally ensures that more money goes to the people who are actually growing and raising the food, instead of to big corporations who act as the middle man in mass production.
5. Not only does buying locally have economic and environmental benefits, it also creates a sense of community. It's so easy to lose ourselves in the UVA bubble of classes and tests and clubs and internships. But once in awhile it's nice to learn a little more about the community outside of UVA.
6. Buying locally is also an effort to plan for the future. Our current food production and distribution system relies heavily on relatively cheap oil and energy prices. Fossil fuels are a large part of food production, packaging, and distribution. However, the current energy crisis poses a threat to food security. Buying locally will bypass rising energy prices, creating a food distribution system that will survive even if our main food system fails.
Our next Farmer's Market is November 15th at the Whispering Wall from 12:00-4:00pm, and you can click here to keep up to date with the vendors as we add more! Stop by and grab a cup of coffee from Snowing in Space or a pie from Family Ties and Pies, and help support our local community!
Sources:
1. https://sustainablecapitolhill.org/eating-locally-in-capitol-hill/
2. https://foodrevolution.org/blog/why-buy-local-food/
3. https://www.washington.edu/wholeu/2016/04/29/the-benefits-of-eating-locally-grown-foods/