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December 29, 2008
A quiet revolution is underway to buy foods grown closer to home
By SUSAN WEST
 A
holiday dining table laden with baked rockfish from the Atlantic Ocean,
roasted Pamlico Sound oysters, Camden County collards, and Hyde County
Irish potatoes is about more than good eats for local food proponents.
“If we each spent just 55 cents a day on products grown locally,
that would create $1.7 billion for the local economy in North
Carolina,” said Nancy Creamer, director of the Center for
Environmental Farming, based in Goldsboro, N.C.
And, a quiet revolution does seem to be brewing in kitchens across the
state as more consumers opt out of the huge international marketplace
and buy foods grown closer to home.
More than 600 people attended six “Farm to Fork” workshops
held by the Center for Environmental Farming this fall in different
areas of North Carolina. The workshop in Greenville on Dec. 15 brought
together consumers, farmers, fishermen, community activists, marketing
and economic development specialists, nutritionists, food bank
organizers, and food coop members.
“Building a local food economy in North Carolina creates lots of
benefits, including jobs and economic development,” Creamer said.
Other benefits range from the health benefits associated with the
consumption of more fruits and vegetables to the preservation of rural
communities and open spaces to the reduction of fossil fuel consumption
associated with the transportation of food.
Another benefit is the reduction in our dependence on foreign food.
Overall, the U.S. imports 15 percent of its food.
Seafood imports account for 84 percent of all the fish and shellfish
consumed in the U.S., with imports of shrimp, salmon, and tuna the most
popular.
Participants at the Greenville workshop identified key issues in the development of a local food economy.
Central to the long-term success of a local food system is
profitability, in order to retain current producers and to attract new
producers.
The state is losing farmers and farms and fishermen and fish houses at a rapid pace.
North Carolina is tied in first place for farm loss in the U.S., and
one-third of the fish houses in the state closed between 2000 and
2006. The average age of a farmer in North Carolina is 56 years
old and commercial fishermen average around 50 years.
Workshop participants noted that local economies prosper more when processing facilities are located within the state.
North Carolina ranks second in pork production in the country, but most processing is done in other states.
And although North Carolina raises enough cattle to meet 41 percent of
the beef demand in the state, most cattle are shipped out of state
before slaughtering.
In addition to increasing in-state processing facilities, workshop
participants said consumer education, expansion of local foods markets
into underserved areas, and promotion of local foods to restaurants and
public institutions are critical to the success of a local, sustainable
food economy.
Participants agreed that the diversity of agricultural products grown
in the state and the diversity of fish and shellfish harvested from the
sea sets a stage ripe for more self-reliance in food production.
The Center for Environmental Farming is planning a statewide summit in
March during which a comprehensive plan for building a local food
economy in North Carolina will be presented. More information is
available at www.cefs.ncsu.edu.
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