by Carm Paynter

“Food Miles”, the distance our food travels between the farm that produced it and our table. Preliminary estimates in some areas suggest that less than 8.5% of our diet is produced on local farms. While fifteen years ago it was almost double. The environmental pressure that our food transportation produces is enormous. Food that has been locally produced and traveled less “food miles” not only is better for the environment but often tastes better too, Food has to be harvested in a much less mature state so it can “ripen” in transit while locally grown food can “ripen” on the plant. Fortunately people are becoming more aware of the source of their food.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa reported in July 2003, that the weighted average source distance (WASD) for locally locally grown produce to reach institutional markets was 56 miles, while the conventional WASD for the produce to reach those same institutional points of sale was 1,494 miles, nearly 27 times further.

According to Statistics Canada’s, Food Consumption in Canada, imports of food as a percentage of net supply are going up. Between 1964 and 2001, imports of fruits (and fruit products) have gone from 67% to 97% of supply. Imports of vegetables (and vegetable products) have gone from 20% to 48% in the same time period. While dairy products, poultry, and eggs have remained relatively stable, imports of red meat have risen from 4.2% in 1964 to 24% in 2002

Critics tell us that this debate risks turning consumers off imported products from the developing world and fails to take into account the emissions produced by farmers who would fill the market gap.

We know the booming aviation market is also very good for farmers and consumers. The millions of tonnes of flowers, fruit and fish flown around the world every day is staggering. BUT, complex chemical reactions that occur when aviation fuel is burnt at high altitude make aircraft emissions nearly three times as damaging as the carbon dioxide to our environment over ground transport, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The British Government has the right line of thinking because they would like to reduce the environmental and social costs of food transport by 20 per cent by 2012. The country’s supermarkets are considering labeling produce with “food miles” showing the distance goods have traveled. Some of the large retailers like the US Wal-Mart, has started favoring suppliers that aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The ideal would be to have a system of labeling that would enable us to compare a product’s carbon footprint just as we currently compare price or nutritional value.

Take a minute to think of how many shopping carts are passing through supermarket checkouts each and every minute of every day in your country. How much precious fossil fuel is being burned up and added to the critical state of our atmosphere every single day to get this food to the shopping carts. Buying locally grown food, or taking the responsibility of growing some of your own food is no longer just a lifestyle option, it’s becoming a necessity for life itself. We all need to do our part if our children and grandchildren are going to have a safe place to live.

The most efficient way of producing our own food consists in the use of hydroponics systems. Using a hydroponic system such as the ebb and flow system, Nutrient film Technique, aeroponics, etc. which recycle the nutrient solution can save up to 80% of the water over a soil system. The plants can grow 30%-50% faster and you can grow as much as 3 times many plants in the same space.

Learn more about growing hydropoinc produce for your family at http://www.hydroponicsgarden-howto.com – you will find information on the different hydroponics systems and how to build your own. Get details on growing herbs and other produce indoors.

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