by Erica Kenney
Th e New York Times ’ Well
blog recently noted that the University of North Carolina is set to launch
a study documenting the health benefits of locally grown food (you can read
UNC’s press release about the study here ).
I expect this study will be fascinating, since a lot of the costs and benefits
of locally grown agriculture have yet to be really fully documented by research;
proponents say that the food is healthier, tastier, cheaper, and better for the
environment because it decreases food miles, while critics say that the food is
really no different in quality or taste, that farmer’s markets and encouraging
people to grow their own vegetables is elitist and expensive, that locally
grown food is not an option for many parts of the U.S. and the world, and that
food miles are not really the biggest environmental problem caused by
agriculture. I want to see where the facts actually come down in this argument.
by Erica Kenney
Th e New York Times ’ Well blog recently noted that the University of North Carolina is set to launch a study documenting the health benefits of locally grown food (you can read UNC’s press release about the study here ). I expect this study will be fascinating, since a lot of the costs and benefits of locally grown agriculture have yet to be really fully documented by research; proponents say that the food is healthier, tastier, cheaper, and better for the environment because it decreases food miles, while critics say that the food is really no different in quality or taste, that farmer’s markets and encouraging people to grow their own vegetables is elitist and expensive, that locally grown food is not an option for many parts of the U.S. and the world, and that food miles are not really the biggest environmental problem caused by agriculture. I want to see where the facts actually come down in this argument.