There aren’t a lot of industries seeing dramatic growth in this economy—which makes the continuing expansion of the local food market even more impressive.
Last week, South Deerfield’s Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, or CISA—the folks responsible for the popular “Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown” program—published its annual guide to local farm products, which includes comprehensive listings of local farms and producers, farmer’s markets and rural festivals, as well as a roundup of Valley restaurants committed to using local products.
The guide also includes a page of statistics demonstrating just how passionately the Valley has embraced the local-food movement. Among the impressive statistics:
” Between 2002 and 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of Valley farms that sell directly to the public increased by 44 percent, with the amount of sales doubling to $9 million.
” Thirty-three Valley farms will offer food-share programs this growing season. That’s six more than last year, when Valley farms sold about 5,000 shares, serving about 20,000 people.
” There are now 31 farmers’ markets in the Valley, including a growing number of winter markets.
CISA’s guide also notes the growth in institutional support for local food products: 31 stores and 40 restaurants in the Valley are now part of the “Local Hero” effort (with the latter buying more than $1 million in local products in 2009), while nine hospitals and nine schools have Local Hero dining services, buying almost $400,000 in local farm products in 2008.
“The bounty of local produce grows and grows, with more farms, restaurants and farmers’ markets—including winter markets—providing the best of the harvest to our community throughout the year,” Phil Korman, CISA’s executive director, said in a press release announcing the new guide.
The CISA guide is distributed in local newspapers and at a number of food markets in the area. In addition, it’s available online at www.buylocal food.org, where you can also find lots of information about CISA’s many other efforts to support farmers and keep us all well fed on the good, local stuff.
