Ok, I admit it…I dig on fruits and vegetables, especially if they’re organic and locally produced. And since I happen to live in California, I have great access to year round local organic goodness. Buying local has many positives:

It’s better for the economy:
“Every dollar spent on locally grown food puts at least three dollars into the local economy. This contributes to the growth of strong small businesses, generates local jobs, raises property values, and leads to strong health care, education, and entertainment sectors.”

It’s better for the environment:
“Food produced and consumed locally uses less fossil fuel for transportation and requires less material for packaging compared to mainstream food production.”

And it’s better for your wallet:
“The United States Department of Agriculture found that food purchased at farmers’ markets is actually less expensive than food at supermarkets.”

~Oxfam America

Added bonus, it’s super yummy and the sellers (often the farmers themselves) are super knowledgeable about their product–if you ever want a 10 minute lecture on the best mushroom to use in stew, your local farmer’s market is the place to go.

I could go on, but unfortunately for those living outside CA, the local food movement is hindered by some major political issues, some of which stem from my state. The USDA’s commodity farm program says basically that “The commodity farm program effectively forbids farmers who usually grow corn or the other four federally subsidized commodity crops (soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton) from trying fruit and vegetables.” (My Forbidden Fruits ) Essentially, that means farmers in Minnesota who grow corn can’t up and decide tomatoes and squash might be a better crop, no matter how much higher demand there might be for it in the market. That’s just too bad for the residents of Minneapolis. And as more folks across the country realize the virtue of buying locally, demand will just increase.

So what’s the deal? Legislators in CA, TX, and FL (read: big congressional delegations) have pushed for this because they want to protect the fruit and vegetable growers in their states. Good for us Californians, bad for you New Yorkers. The solutions? Write your congressperson–while we’re all excited about our national election (seriously, is it November yet?) now is not the time to forget that all politics is essentially local. And buy local–not only will your wallet and taste buds thank you, market forces can’t be ignored forever. Eventually higher demand will push local legislators to look for ways to solve this.