The national food system is increasingly globalized. Food that reaches the local grocery may have come from thousands of miles away. At the same time, the number of farmers' markets in the U-S is skyrocketing. People are embracing the idea of eating locally-produced food for all sorts of reasons...from increased freshness, to the ability to meet and interact with one's neighbors at a local produce market, to supporting the local economy. What's more, food that doesn't travel as far is often viewed as more environmentally-friendly. But as Harvest Public Media's Kathleen Masterson reports, that's not necessarily the case.
This report is the first in a week-long series of stories about local food and how it's affecting local economies. You can learn more about this story, and find more agricultural news online, at HarvestPublicMedia.org. This special website features news, video, podcasts and blogs about agriculture in the Midwest. Again, that web address is: HarvestPublicMedia.org.