Land Protection and Local Buying
Editor's note: This is a letter CAFF's North Coast Chapter sent out to local Sierra Club members, enlisting them in a "buy local" campaign by linking that campaign to environmental protection. Other chapters might want to consider a similar approach.
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers' (CAFF) North Coast Chapter is embarking on a Buy Local, Sustainably-Produced Food Campaign. CAFF is looking at practical ways to protect land, preserve farms and keep open spaces around the county. To meet this goal, it is essential to make our local farms economically viable. Dedicated agriculturists will stay in farming and resist pressures to sell out if they can make an acceptable living off the land. Non-grape agriculture is still alive in the county, but it is struggling. Many people want to grow food but can't make a living wage. Maintaining diversity in agriculture requires the support of all county residents. How can we support local farmers? Buy locally produced food.
Local food produced with sustainable farming techniques is the tastiest, freshest, safest food around. Many organic and environmentally minded growers are farming in Sonoma County, producing high quality food. Everyone deserves access to this type of food, and farmers deserve to make a living producing it. Sometimes this means paying more than supermarket prices. Americans pay only half the percentage of their budgets for food as Europeans, where good food is highly valued. Locally produced food is superior to most of the food found in large markets where it has been shipped an average of 1,500 miles, using significant resources. Much of the food we import is mass produced in an environmentally destructive manner. It lacks freshness, nutritional quality, and accountability for the manner in which it was produced. When you know your local farmer, you can count on a safe, quality product. Purchasing directly from farmers improves their bottom line, keeping them in business and their land in agriculture.
CAFF is developing a multi-faceted approach to protect farms, keep open spaces green, maintain agricultural diversity, and provide consumers access to healthy local food. The first step is to encourage local buying. We ask all local environmental organizations to promote local buying in their publications, email list-serves, events, headquarters, and by word of mouth. CAFF will develop and make available lists of sources for sustainably produced, local food.
We ask that you promote these sources. We want local buying to become second nature so that it is as natural for people to buy local products as it is to recycle. Remember how novel recycling was only 25 years ago? Buying local products reinforces itself, because the discerning customer continues to seek out high quality food once they become accustomed to its freshness and excellent taste.
Where do you buy local? Become a member of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. Call Laguna Farm at 823-0823, Tierra Vegetables at 837-8366 or Orchard Farms at 823-6528 for details. Head down to your local farmer's market. Check the Press Democrat's Wednesday "Food and Wine Section" for the listing of local farmer's markets. Buy "Select Sonoma" products. Visit a Farm Trails site near you. Look for farmstands that sell straight from the farm. Ask your grocery store to provide local products. Ask restaurants what dishes are prepared with local food. Pick up a copy of CAFF's California Farm Fresh Guide for specific listings of local buying opportunities.
Buy local products and encourage all within your sphere of influence to do the same.
Buying local is a key component of protecting land and preventing sprawl in Sonoma County!
To participate or learn more, call Keith Abeles at CAFF's North Coast office, 823-6788.
