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10 ways to boost local food economy

Sunday, June 20, 2010 12:00 AM | Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

1. Cook with fresh, seasonal, local foods.Cooking at home is often healthier and cheaper than eating out.

2. Buy from local farmers and food businesses.Make food purchases as directly as possible. Seek out restaurants that serve local foods.

3. Grow your food.If you don't have space, land or know-how, join a community garden. 4. Advocate for healthy foods at school and day care. Encourage them to serve food from local farmers. Visit www.farmtoschool.org.

5. Organize. To start a Community-Supported Agriculture program (CSA) or farmers market at work, go to www.cefs.ncsu.edu and click on "resources."

To get your church involved, go to www.cometothetablenc.org.

To start a local meat-buying club, go to www.ncchoices.com.6. Talk about where food comes from.Community conversations enhance awareness, build partnerships and lead to action.7. Promote transparency in packaged foods.Ask retailers for labels that detail how, where and by whom food is grown, raised and processed.

8. Support the development of community farm and garden trusts. They help protect affordable, long-term access to farmland.

9. Get kids involved.Cook and shop with your children. Take them to the farmers' market and to visit farms.

10. Monitor local food policy developments at the state level.To get e-mail updates, go to www.cefs.ncsu.edu and click on "get involved."— Source: "From Farm to Fork: A Guide to Building North Carolina's Sustainable Local Food Economy"

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