The movement toward buying fresh, local foods and supporting regional farms and related businesses and organizations is gaining momentum across the nation. Consumers are beginning to understand that eating fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables offers significant health benefits, while also boosting the local economy.

At the forefront of the South Central Pennsylvania movement is the Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council (RC&D), a seven-county, nonprofit organization that networks people, resources and projects to promote responsible use and conservation of our region’s natural, community and economic resources.

A Grassroots Initiative

Although involved in a multitude of projects, one of RC&D’s most notable is the Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) program. BFBL is a nationwide, grassroots campaign managed by the FoodRoutes Network. Pennsylvania chapters are coordinated by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Capital RC&D is the project sponsor and contact for South Central Pennsylvania.

According to Cheryl Burns, RC&D’s agricultural outreach specialist, the goal of the program is to encourage the consumption of locally grown agricultural products by making it easier for consumers to find, choose and appreciate local foods, while supporting the farmers and lands that produce them.

Partners pay a membership fee to be involved. “Wherever you see the Buy Fresh Buy Local label and logo, you know you have found a business committed to supporting local food and farmers,” says Burns.

Regional Benefits

The program benefits consumers by providing the information needed to make informed decisions about the food we eat. “Each fruit or vegetable you buy at a local farm stand or from a producer at a farmers’ market actually helps to protect the environment,” explains Burns. She notes that most food available in a typical grocery store travels an average of 1,500 to 2,500 miles from field to plate. Reducing the “food miles” decreases carbon emissions from shipping and lessens the need for packaging.

Purchasing locally produced food also helps to make farming more profitable, reducing the incentive for a farmer to sell farmland for development. This provides all of us with more open space for water recharge and helps conserve the region’s visual beauty.

A Local Market

As a member of the Buy Fresh Buy Local program, the Farmers’ Market in Hershey aims to support local farmers engaged in sustainable practices by creating a venue for the sale of their goods, while also increasing community accessibility to healthy, locally grown foods. The seasonal market, located just west of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center campus, is open every Thursday from May to October and gives customers weekly access to a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats, baked goods and other artisan products. Most products are organic or naturally made and originate within a 25-mile radius of the market, which also features innovative wellness programming such as cooking classes and free health screenings and education, as well as local musical acts.

Market co-founders Danny George, a faculty member at Penn State College of Medicine, and Wade Edris, a scientist in a College of Medicine research lab, share a conviction that the mission of academic medical centers is not merely to treat disease, but also to support wellness and sustainability in local communities. “Our current food system is simply not sustainable,” comments George. “Supporting local farmers and artisans, educating the public, and infusing money back into the local economy can help us all in the long run.”

Community Supported Agriculture

Learning to grow our own food by creating a small yard garden or joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or community garden are other ways to sustain our food system. Kirsten Reinford thought so, and in 2006, she teamed up with Joshua Group, an at-risk youth mentoring organization, to launch Joshua Farm. The farm offers memberships in their CSA and employs youth from Joshua Group to work during the summer months.

“Employing the youth at the farm was a natural extension of the programs they were already involved in,” says Reinford. “Working here gives them an opportunity to build character, develop relationships and learn about sustainability.” From June through September, Joshua Farm operates a farm stand in their parking, lot where they sell a variety of fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit in season, most of it grown at Joshua Farm and picked that morning. According to Reinford, a CSA program is also a wonderful way to build community and provide access to fresh, healthy food for individuals who lack other opportunities to obtain it. When we buy food from local sources, we make the choice to sustain our environment, care for our health and bolster our local economy. Thankfully, organizations throughout Central Pennsylvania make it much easier to do just that.

For more info, visit CapitalRCD.org, PASAFarming.org, BuyLocalPA.org, Facebook.com/FarmersMarketInHershey or JoshuaFarm.wordpress.com.