Sustainable Living Guide Contributions, Part Two of Four: Sustaining Our Agricultural Resources

Week 2 Assignment

Sustainable Living Guide Contributions, Part Two of Four:

Sustaining Our Agricultural Resources

Farmers’ markets are becoming more frequented by families that want to shop for fresh food as well as be involved in their communities. According to Roth (2019), “Farmers markets are a staple in many communities throughout the United States. These markets afford thousands of people with the ability to access fresh, local produce, among many other healthy foods” (para. 5). The main reason to go to a farmers’ market is for the fresh foods from local farmers. Some additional benefits, most farmers’ markets are held in local parks or on closed city streets. This encourages community involvement to include, activities for kids, educational classes, and can turn grocery shopping into a fun family event. Farmers’ markets tie directly into our theme this week of educating people on the health, and environmental benefits of purchasing food locally. By not having to ship goods across countries or thru large grocery chains the carbon emissions from growing the food and its environmental impact are much smaller.

The term Farmers’ Market touches on several different levels, it implies fresh local products, community, and good environmental impacts. Buying products from the local farmers market guarantees the product is fresh and most flavorful compared to products that have been frozen and shipped over long distances. Not only does consuming locally grown food help the community at large it also helps achieve environmental sustainability. “A survey of food consumed in Iowa showed conventional produce traveled on average 1,500 miles, not including food imported from other countries. In contrast, locally grown produce traveled on average 56 miles-a huge difference in fuel investment” (Bensel-Turk 2014, pg. 3.5). We can see just from the shipping distance that buying local products will significantly help the environment and improve sustainability and that buying locally should be goal.

The first action that individuals can take is to simply go to the farmers market and purchase their products from the local farmers. By supporting the local farmers this will help with environmental sustainability for the area. Inviting family and friends to participate in the farmers market is another action that can be taken to help promote local products. Volunteering to work some of the activities for children during the farmers market is also another action that can be taken to help get more community involvement. These different suggestions are mainly to be performed on the individual level but can easily be transitioned to a community level. It is our responsibility on an individual level to support our community and do our best to increase environmental sustainability as much as possible.

References:

Bensel, T. and Turk, J. (2014). Contemporary Environmental Issues. (2nd Ed). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

Roth, Kevin. (2019). Connecting Communities Through Farmers Markets: Where healthy food, education, entertainment and community engagement all meet. Parks & Recreation, Vol. 54 (Issue 6 9, p14-15. 2p. Retrieved from http/web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/ehost/results?vid=0&sid=50f1173f-45a6-42cd-beed-d4a683a75d7e%40sessionmgr4008&bquery=farmers%2Bmarket&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNwaWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4ODU2ODk3JmRiPWY1aCZjbGkwPUZUJmNsdjA9WSZ0eXBlPTAmc2VhcmNoTW9kZT1TdGFuZGFyZCZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d

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