The importance of local agriculture

The outdoor growing season in the Gunnison Country is still a few months away but the start of the New Year is an excellent time to think about the value of supporting and being involved in local agriculture. Living in a small town means that we are no strangers to understanding the importance of supporting our local businesses, but when it comes to buying food, we often find ourselves shopping at one or two large stores. Shopping for local food when during the off-season for the farmers’ market can be difficult, but many local vendors still have online marketplaces or small outlets for selling local products such as eggs, meats, and dried flowers.

Supporting local agriculture goes beyond simply supporting local businesses. By buying local agricultural products consumers shorten supply chains and receive higher quality products. When food is shipped long distances, it is often harvested before it is fully ripe or it is processed into cans or freezer bags; all of this processing decreases the nutritional value and flavor of products. Transporting food long distances also introduces significant levels of emissions and the use of chemicals and preservatives. Each time a product is handled or transferred, opportunities for threats to food safety increase. Buy consuming local products, transportation, preservation and processing are all reduced; as are many of the shipping and handling processes that can contribute to food safety concerns.

According to the IFIC, since 2023 there has been a 15% decrease in the confidence of American consumers in US food safety standards; combined with increases in food prices the percentage of Americans looking for local food options has risen. Since the late 2000s the number of farmers’ markets in the US has expanded over four times but small farms have decreased by half a million nationwide. With reductions to the FDA, CDC and HHS budgets for 2026 the U.S. will see marked impacts to food quality control testing and foodborne illness monitoring. Last year Listeria outbreaks sickened over 1500 Americans. Cuts to FoodNet – the CDC’s foodborne disease surveillance network – have resulted in reductions in monitoring, reporting, and tracking of foodborne illness (including Listeria) and increased response time to nationwide outbreaks. Combined with a lack of FDA food safety inspectors, food systems are at increased risk of preventable safety issues and outbreaks. Local agriculture utilizes significantly less transportation, processing and handling resulting in fewer opportunities for contamination to products. Reduced transportation also cuts down on the spread of pests and chemical preservatives.

Local agriculture is the backbone of healthy community food systems. Buying local promotes community connection through conversations with producers, promotion of diversified local agriculture and preservation of agricultural heritage. Conversations with local producers promotes exchanges of information built from generational knowledge of agriculture in the Gunnison Country. Local small-scale agriculture promotes biodiversity through production of specialty and heirloom crops and conserves vital land, soil, air and water resources. Agriculture protects land, feeds communities and provides space for wildlife to thrive. By reducing dependency on distant agricultural sources local producers contribute to food security within our community.

Consumers who support local agriculture support diverse and nutritious local crops; clean agricultural systems without chemical inputs; local knowledge; simplified supply chains; and robust local food systems. By buying local and growing local you can support our agricultural economy and enjoy local produce, meats and flowers without transportation and chemical footprints. Visit the Gunnison Valley Producer’s Guild website for more information about local agriculture systems, educational topics and events at www.gvpg.org.