It has often been taken for granted that local food is better for the environment, first because of reduced distance to market, and second because of a presumed commitment to sustainable farming on the part of farmers who... [ view full abstract ]
It has often been taken for granted that local food is better for the environment, first because of reduced distance to market, and second because of a presumed commitment to sustainable farming on the part of farmers who sell direct to consumers. Recent research has called both these assumptions into question; indeed, the concepts of a “local trap,” an “inverted quarantine,” and “defensive localism” raise the possibility that the social movement for local food may be romantic at best, willfully blind to larger injustices in the food system at worst. Motivated by this tension between public perceptions and academic criticisms of local food, this paper seeks to draw attention to the tremendous diversity in how food is grown for and sold to local markets. More specifically, I ask: Are different market outlets for local food associated with differences in the adoption of sustainable farming practices by farmers? And if so, what is it about particular market outlets, or the farmers who take advantage of them, that might explain this association? With this question in mind, this paper will report on the findings of an original, large-scale survey conducted with specialty crops growers (i.e. farmers of fruits and vegetables) in Michigan and Ohio. Respondents to the survey (n=approximately 880 farm operations) were asked detailed questions about what crops are grown, whether practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and biological pest control are used, whether the farm satisfies “organic” criteria, how crops are sold, and the environmental views and socioeconomic characteristics of farm owners. Preliminary findings shed light on a nuanced relationship between local food and sustainable farming. First, and not surprisingly, selling food mainly wholesale, and therefore not selling local food, is strongly associated with increased use of agricultural chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. Second, earning income from some of the most common outlets for local food, such as farmers markets, roadside stands, and direct-to-consumer resale by other farmers, is not associated with greater adoption of sustainable farming practices. However, community-supported agricultural cooperatives (CSAs)—and to a lesser extent having a farm-to-table relationship with local restaurants—clearly emerge as an income source that is strongly associated with sustainable farming. Further analysis of survey data suggests that more than one reason may exist for the unique environmental character of CSAs, including the environmental views of farm operators and a heightened sense of economic security due to the membership contract funding model.
