Project Statement

My project is based on local food. I will be exploring what that term means, the benefits and implication of local food, and the possibility of eating locally in Madison. This will include researching the effects of eating food shipped around the world verses food grown in nearby, looking at common grocery store items and where they come from, and exploring the issues that come with our accustomedness to eating seasonal food all year round. I am also attempting a “local only” week, which will consist of first setting guidelines as to what local food is, and then attempting to eat exclusively local food for that week.
Eating locally is not only an environmental topic, but also economic, and it becomes a complicated, but necessary question of if its better to support the farmer a mile away, or fair trade products from across the globe. I will research and discuss the phenomenon of grocery stores in January in Florida looking nearly identical to ones in Wisconsin, when the climate is drastically different. Essentially, I want to answer the question, “Why, in Madison, do we eat fresh strawberries in January? “Moving further than this, I will explore what environmentally sound food system would look like, in terms of shipments and “food miles”.
I created this project because of my interest in local foods and curiosity as to if my assumptions about them where correct. I hope to be able to report my findings to spread awareness and insight as to where our food actually comes from and the effects of this. Food clearly plays an important role in everyday life, so it is necessary to look at the sustainability of our food systems, question their present state, and figure out what we can do to improve them.