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Can shopping at your local farmers’ market help save the planet and you?  I think so. How and where you’re buying your food can be a conscious act to help curb climate change and some of the other ecological crises we, as a global community, are experiencing...and it's just good for your community.  I’d like to outline a few reasons why supporting local farmers and food producers with your food dollars might have a lasting impact on you, your community, and the planet.

1. Your food is traveling less.  If the time that it takes for food to get from the soil to your plate is decreased the nutrient content is richer, that’s helpful to you.  Less travelling time can also mean less impact on the environment because of less refrigeration needs, less fuel needed to transport the food, and less packaging to keep foods travelling long distances fresh.

2. You are supporting your local economy.  This means that the money you earn is staying in your community and enriching the culture of the community.  As communities are enriched by local dollars supporting local employment, there are more opportunities to produce goods locally, in which case we are again supporting less travel for the things we consume - even if they’re not food.

3. Supporting local food producers has the potential to increase the biodiversity in your community.  Biodiversity is the variety of living things in an ecosystem. The more biodiverse an ecosystem, the more likely the ecosystem is to resist and rebound from catastrophic events like disease or drought. Ask your farmer about their growing practices to see if they are acting with an environmental conscience.

4. Local food is better for you.  This statement is based on some new and emerging science that studies of the microbiome (microbiome - this is the ecological community of microorganisms that live in your body, and primarily your gut - you need them and they need you.)  Research is finding that food grown in a local environment, and the closer to home the better, is easier to digest and we are more easily able to extract the nutrients from the food. Pretty amazing stuff!

These are all possible benefits from supporting local.  You may not think stopping by and picking up a few items from a local farmer or food producer can have an impact, but it does - on people, the community, and the planet we’re relying on for our survival.  Question your farmers and food producers. Find out if what you’re buying IS in fact local. Find out if the methods used to produce your food are in fact helping the planet and not hurting it. Support your community, come by the farmers' market and make a difference!