I´ve never been one to profess to know the answers, except of course, when I was right. I don´t know if this is one of those times, but during the past few weeks I´ve been learning and thinking while the tropical storms kept me locked inside my room. I find the ideas presented to me so fascinating, so intelligently put together, and so right that I just had to share them with you.

I have been learning about food production, and how it relates to so many problems we currently face. As those who know me are well aware, I have always been concerned with human rights issues, poverty and hunger, and environmental problems. It never occurred to me before that there might be one solution for so many problems.

The solution is summed up in a very well-known phrase: Think Globally, Act Locally. I´m sorry to anyone who is familiar with this concept. You don´t have to keep reading. But to anyone who, like me, had heard it but not understood it, allow me to explain how powerful this could be.

The way I have come to understand this is in terms of food production, like I mentioned. The idea is that when you buy locally grown foods, you are helping combat three major issues: environmental damage, dietary-related health problems, and third-world poverty.

First, environmental damage. The thing about our food source that most people don´t think about (I know I never did) is the amount of gasoline it takes to transport this food around the world. As oil-supplies diminish, this may become a bigger issue. But for now, it mostly relates to atmospheric and water pollution.

Then there are the pesticides that are used. Not only are they damaging to the water shed and wildlife, they are damaging to us. About 20% of approved pesticides are carcinogenic to humans. And over the years, as industrial farms become the norm, pesticide use has risen. And along with the rise in pesticides, came a rise in plant viruses and pathogens that can resist pesticides and herbicides. And to overcome this fact, industrial farms simply use more chemicals.

And here´s one more industrial farm-fact for you: All of the industrial farms in the US alone produce six times as much fecal matter than all of the humans on the planet. Where do you think all of that goes?

Second, is the dietary health problems. This comes not only from pesticides used on industrial farms, but in the quality of the food product itself. Any gardener knows that their home-grown veggies are tastier and nicer looking, as well as the fact that they contain far more nutrients than our hot-house, fast-grown, quick-froze products.

If you are a lable reader, you will also note the growing use in corn and soy products (which are almost entirely GM products now, if that concerns you.) US consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has risen 100% since 1975. And this is just one of the many corn products that are being put into our diet.

Lastly are the problems related to world poverty. Of course there is farming on every continent of the planet. However, a majority of this food is shipped to none other than North America. Just the other week I drove through a very large banana plantation that takes up much of the northern Caribbean coast of Panama. And I can tell you that these delicious fruits are not making it to the cupboards of the Panamans.

To sum this up, buying locally grown organic products can help diminish all of these problems. Small scale organic farms decrease the amount of fecal matter and harmful chemicals being leaked into the local environment. Hearty veggies grown in the dirt will give us more necessary vitamins and nutrients for a healthy life. And buying locally allows the land in foreign countries to be used to feed their own people, rather than shipping it out to feed fat North Americans.

So, very briefly, this is what I have been learning about. If none of this makes sense to you, please let me know. I am only just beginning to learn about this idea of how buying locally can help the planet in so many ways.

Likewise, if you disagree with anything I have said, let me know! I would love to hear more facts, opinions and ideas. I have many more facts and thoughts that I could share and discuss as well.

Here are a few websites that you may find helpful, relevant and interesting:

www.heifer.org
www.foodsecurity.org
www.locavores.com
www.slowfood.com
www.animalvegetablemiracle.com