At the local supermarket, you reach for the bananas. Then you hesitate. They're from Costa Rica, shipped thousands of kilometres, polluting the air along the way.
Then the apples catch your eye. They're grown closer to home. While wavering between the Granny Smiths and Ida Reds, another thought pops up: Doesn't the Costa Rican banana farmer need money to support his family?
Like many Canadians, you try to shop with a conscience and are aware that your choices have an impact. The reality is that there are no easy answers. Below are some points to consider when you want to make a difference.
3 Reasons to Buy Local
1. It can protect the environment.
Food often travels thousands of kilometres before ending up on our plates. Buying produce grown closer to home reduces carbon dioxide emissions generated in transport.
2. It supports local farmers.
According to Statistics Canada, the number of farms in this country has dropped by more than 17,000 since 2001. Buying local produce helps make farming more profitable. Better yet, shop at farmers' markets or roadside stands so profits don't have to be shared with distributors.
3. It helps safeguard your family's health.
Chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified seed can be widely used in large-scale, modern farming. If you buy directly from farmers, you can ask how the food is grown or raised and make informed choices.
3 Reasons to Buy Global
1. It helps impoverished families.
Millions of farmers in poor countries rely on exports to North America for their livelihood. Many small-scale farmers are able to use the profits from their businesses to put their children through school.
2. It can protect the environment.
Buying locally grown food does not always result in the smallest environmental impact. Importing tomatoes in winter, for example, may use less energy than growing them in heated greenhouses.
3. It supports beneficial international trade.
According to DATA, Africa had a six per cent share of world trade in 1980. By 2002, this had dropped to two per cent. If Africa could regain just an additional one per cent, it would earn $70 billion in exports—several times more than what it currently receives in foreign aid.
What's a Shopper to Do?
While it's appealing to think that you can save the world while strolling down the grocery aisle, tackling climate change and giving developing countries a boost goes beyond apples and oranges.
It's best, perhaps, to take a balanced approach. Where possible, buy food that is grown locally. On imported products, look for the "Fair Trade Certified" label, which ensures that the profits benefit the local producers.
You may also want to write a letter to your MP, letting him or her know that you want to protect the environment and help farmers—wherever they live.
To help a child in a developing country through child sponsorship, click here.
