A Look at How Local Markets Invigorate Communities

A Virtual Farmgirl thanks to Mexico New for pointing me to this article in Yes Magazine about multi-cultural markets and pinpointing how local food systems “builds health and community wealth.” The story’s author, Gary Nabhan, looks at how much cutting the middleman farmer out of the picture costs a community. It doesn’t have to be that way though, he explains, noting that in northern Arizona between 2001 and 2005, annual purchases of locally and regionally produced foods grew from $20k to $250k in Flagstaff and from $85k to $500k in the surrounding region. Local merchants benefit as well with the increase in foot traffic at local markets. Nabhan, who is director of the NAU Center for Sustainable Environments, observes, “There’s value beyond mere calories in fresh, local food. Building a local food supply system makes for healthier food, fosters more economically viable farms and ranches, and provides a forum for community members to collectively imagine a more sustainable future for the region.”