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Brendan Branson

Mrs. Johnson

AP English P.5

06 September 2016

Locavore

The recent growing interest in locally grown foods has undoubtedly crafted controversy.

Locavores, or people who demand and require only locally grown foods have become more

apparent through their obviously beneficial cries for change. This growing movement definitely

is a change for the better, with several positive aspects compared to industrialized fruits and

veggies. Local foods offer a host of added benefits such as less pollution, economic

improvement, and more nutritious, higher quality produce.

Local foods possess several key benefits, a prominent factor, which all in its own can

convert most to regional foods, being localism generates less pollution than commercial produce.

While local farms only require someone to truck the foods to a nearby farmer's market creating

little to no pollution, industrial companies with long distance food shipments promote profligate

fuel use,(Source F). It is indeed healthier for yourself and your kin to consume your fruits and

veggies, however most of this produce must be trucked ridiculous distances, polluting our air as

it hustles down the highway. Pollution is both a vile and horrific problem which plagues today's

world. If unkept, pollution can fester into a disastrous problem for all of mankind to experience.

We need to trim away any and all producers of impurities in our air anywhere we can, and long

haul trucking of natural foods is an easy place to start.

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As well as a purer, more hygienic atmosphere, local foods also provide an economical

advantage. While you are exporting your valuable disposable income out of your local

community to commercial growers of produce you could have had a dollar [be] spent locally

[to] generate twice as much income for [your] local economy, (source A). When you buy

industrialized foods from only god knows where, money is simply being shoveled out of your

regional economy. Conversion to locavorism generates double the return of capital from your

purchase. This wealth remains stationary in your neck of the woods, bottom line being the

potential to assist with funding for public education, refuge and asylum for the forlorn homeless,

as well as the ability to allow other basic municipal services such as the employment of public

libraries. These simple acts, all of which can create monumental impacts in your neighbors lives,

are all possible due to your local purchases. Along with these key civic institutions being allotted

extra resources, locavores have even created recent fundamental professions through [a]

number of small farms [which have] increased 20% in the past six years, to 1.2 million, (source

E). Alongside a generally more supported economy, job growth is a key added benefit. Up and

coming regional farms require a working staff. Through the employment of these new blue-collar

workers who have the potential to be your acquaintances, neighbors, and near by relatives can all

gain access to new found jobs. When people are earning money they are also spending it, if they

spend a portion of their money back into local farms it will even further assist your community's

economy. Through the financial benefits locavorism generates in your neighborhood it once

again proves itself as the obvious choice.

Along with an improved economy, localism also introduces the benefit of improved

freshness in regional produce, which translates to increased nutritional value. Did you know
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food begins to lose nutrition as soon as it is harvested [and that] fruits and vegetables that travel

shorter distances are therefore likely to be closer to a maximum of nutrition, (source B)? Local

produce possesses a fresher alternative to your average industrialized foods which are tormented

and beaten as they fly through a production line as quickly as possible to maximize profit.

Commercial produce attain a lower nutritional value compared to local foods due to their often

premature harvest. Regional sources of fruits and veggies offer a much more nutritious and

wholesome meal for both you and your kin. Why would you feed yourself or your children old,

long-refrigerated lettuce or carrots which have been sitting for weeks? Industrialized foods lack

the care and attentiveness that local produce would otherwise receive leading to a lowered

nutritional value and overall quality of freshness.

With several key aspects to convert to local there isn't much room for discussion. While a

commercialized big rig hauls your dinner across the country, leaving a disgusting wake of

pollution, your local farmer didn't have to travel far to reach a near location to sell his produce,

cutting back on greenhouse gases and smog being pumped into the atmosphere. You could be

spending your money on local produce to recirculate your currency back into your communitys

economy to maximize wealth in order to fund municipal services, but chances are you shovel

your money away into a random corporation in some far off land. Localism even has to the

potential to birth new professions for any member of your neighborhood. Local foods attain a

higher nutritional value due to their freshness all the while those commercial baby carrots you

have been snacking on include a decreased nutritional value count as they have been sitting in

refrigerator for weeks. Through the controversy localism has created we can find the obvious
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reasons to convert, due to aspects such as limited pollution, the improvement of your economy,

and higher nutritional value there is no debate as to whether or not to convert to local.