A recent study from the University of California, Santa Barbara has led to a fresh wave of criticism of the local food movement. The study found that carbon emissions related to transportation of non-local foods has a "negligible" impact on overall carbon emissions associated with that food.

Much of the secondary coverage of the article had implied that such studies debunk the local food movement writ large. Stephen Budiasky made a similar argument in a New York Times op-ed last August, arguing that the local food movement was headed towards a "self-indulgent...do-gooder dogma."

In the face of these criticisms, I would like to offer three compelling reasons to eat local. For what it's worth, we aren't particularly big fans of food miles as a metric for sustainability. While locality isn't a perfect proxy for carbon, local food does afford consumers some unique advantages over organic produce trucked across large distances.

1. It allows you to connect directly with the farm that grows your food. That's particularly true for Farmscape members, because the farm is in their yard. This connection is more difficult if you purchase produce from a farmer's market or CSA, but even those options allow you to develop a personal relationship with the grower. In many cases, you might be able to visit the farm itself. Developing a relationship with your farmer will give you a good sense of the production and labor practices used to grow your food.

2. It tastes better. The Sun Gold tomatoes that we offer are a great example - their skin cracks easily, which means they can't be shipped long distances. As our members can attest, their flavor shames that of its "commercially viable" counterparts. Sean's recent post on Dan Barber points to the importance of flavor for the food movement.

Better flavor also has a carbon impact. Processing accounts for 16% of carbon emissions associated with food. I think it's fair to say that flavorful inputs require little or no processing to be part of a delicious meal, while flavorless inputs can require quite a bit. 

3. The most local source for produce is growing it yourself, which offers a unique benefit in carbon savings. Much of the produce in your garden should be picked riped and moved directly from the vine to your plate. Growing your own produce can make refrigeration unnecessary. Home refrigeration and preparation accounts for a whopping 31% of carbon emissions associated with food. 

While recent press coverage has spun the Santa Barbara study as devastating for the local food movement, the author of the study has more measured words. In the Huffington Post, David Cleveland summarized his conclusions thusly: "Do localization," he said, "but don't get lulled into thinking that it's the end game."

Exactly.

Farmer's Market image from Flickr user Marc_Smith. Creative Commons.