Our grandparents’ generation knew where their food came from but, today, food is much more readily available and commonly delivered through a vast, global industrialized system. Seasonality is less a factor in our daily diets, and doesn’t always affect availability or affordability. While this miracle of industrialization allows for a more diversified diet and a great deal of cheap food, one cost of these innovations has been the connection between consumers and the people who produce their food. The Local Motive is an opportunity to change that.
Vermont leads the nation in local food production and consumption. Even so, as it currently stands only about 7% of our food is sourced locally. The Vermont Farm to Plate food system plan calls for a goal of 10% local food consumption by 2020. The New England Food Vision seeks to achieve 50% of all food consumption in New England to be sourced locally by mid-century. Episode 1 of this 6-part series examines these goals, looking at how Vermont currently eats, the supply and demand challenges, and how much land would be needed to attain long-term goals.
