Buying local is an investment in the well-being of those around you. Money spent on local foods stays where it can make a tangible difference in the community you live.
Your local economy benefits from the multiplier effect of money spent on local food. Simply put, money spent locally will compound and generate more money for your community. If 5 million Ontarians spent only $10 of their grocery budget on local foods each week, almost $3 billion would be added to our local economy!
Farmland contribute more to taxes than the returns from land development. Studies have shown that residential developed land costs tax payers more in expenditures than it brings in with revenue. And this doesn`t include the cost of initial land servicing. Farmland, however, costs the government just a fraction of what it brings in through tax revenue.
Supporting farms in your area and staving off development gives more money back, not just to the agriculture sector, but also to the community.
Local foods aren’t always the cheapest options, but they present good value. Not only does buying local contribute to the economic well being of your community, but often the most nutritious local options may also be the least expensive. These include produce such as potatoes, apples, beans, carrots and other root vegetables. You can also save more by purchasing locally grown foods which are frozen or canned. In-season foods are usually cheaper because they are often in surplus and they require minimal travel costs.
There are many affordable local food options in Canada, and supporting your local food system ensures that you’ll see more in the future!
Money spent on food grown in or near your community stays and works for your local economy. When you buy local, a greater share is kept by the producer instead of the middleman. Local farmers retain 30-40% of direct or CSA sales as profit, as compared to 18% of sales on what is sold in a supermarket. This is money that they can put directly back into the business of bringing you fresh, healthy food.
If more food is going to be grown, harvested and sold locally, more resources will be required to perform these tasks. This means more job creation. A shift towards supporting more local business could significantly decrease seasonal unemployment, and further boost the local economy.
For example, a recent study found that if the city of Detroit were to shift 20% of food spending to local sources, 4,700 jobs could be created and the city would receive $20 million more in business taxes per year, let alone the compounded benefit of additional local spending.
A strong local food system plays another important role by acting as a defence to the consumer against the instability of the global food market. Without local farming to support communities, there is an increased need to rely on imports. Local foods help limit a community’s dependence on imports leaving it better shielded against interruptions in global food supply.