The Locavore Movement

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In the response to the third industrial/”Green” revolution, an agricultural boom due to the experimentation of chemical engineers, many people seek locally grown foods, free of noxious pesticides occasionally found in the genetically modified organisms manufactured by engineers. This revolution has made it possible for America, a nation that employs less than 3% of its population in the agricultural section, to produce over 30% of the world’s foodstuffs. Locavores laud the nutritious and environmental benefits of consuming locally grown foods over the manufactured and chemically produced “organisms” concocted in a laboratory. Although local foods seem solely salutary and universally acclaimed, the locavore movement has staunch opponents who …show more content…
In response to Robert’s “long-distance food shipments promote profligate fuel use,” critics would respond by arguing “Sending a truck over 2,000 miles consume the same amount of fuel per apple as a local farmer taking crops 50 miles to market.” (McWilliams) McWilliams argues Robert’s claim, that environmental degradation is a byproduct of long distance transportation, by clarifying local production does not necessarily equate to less environmental or economic impact. Supporting locally grown foods due to their lack of chemicals and pesticides, Maiser states, “Food with less distance to travel from farm to plate has less susceptibility to harmful contamination.” (Maiser) The simple correlation that more distance or food miles equates to increased levels of toxic chemicals or noxious pesticides, paraphrases a very complex phenomenon. Shorter distance traveled …show more content…
This idea is reinforced in the overly positive blog article of Maiser when she says,” A dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy.” (Maiser) Domestic production galvanizes growth of the local economy by opening jobs, generating revenue through provincial sales taxes, and giving consumers the ability to choose from a variety of foodstuffs leading to political and economic trust of local governments. The power local food production has on the economy is clearly evident during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In the 1930’s, the nation experienced its worst economic recession known as the Great Depression, emerging due to a deflationary economic cycle caused by high domestic food production coexisting with the flooding of cheap international crops. Many farmers lost their jobs and could not compete against the pressures of an oversea market; therefore, unemployment and gross domestic product stagnated throughout the 1920’s. However, FDR instituted his New Deal, creating the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, which curbed the influence of international markets and subsidized domestic farms, leading to the emergence and prosperity of local farmers. Not only did farmers sell more crops and increase their means of