Photo courtesy of This pathfinder is for anyone looking to learn more about the benefits of eating locally grown foods (organic or otherwise) and sustainable agriculture. Some resources may be local to the Buffalo, NY area.
Introduction | Articles | Books | Magazines | Websites
Introduction
People around the world eat thousands of pounds of food everyday. This food requirement places a large strain on the environment. Continually using the same fields for crops can drain the soil of its nutrients.
Over the years, there has been a shift in food sources. Food used to come to consumers from their local area. As agriculture advanced and more recently, agribusinesses have started, you are more likely to be eating food that started it's life more than 1000 miles away.
Crops are regularly treated with chemical pesticides and soil is pumped full of further chemicals to produce more food. Sustainable agriculture, organic practices, and eating only locally grown foods (or as some call it, being a locavore) helps to curb soil damage and environmental pollution from shipping food.
Articles
- Edlich, R. F., Drake, D. B., Rodeheaver, G.
T., Kelley, A., Greene, J. A., Gubler, K. D., et al. (2007). Revolutionary
advances in organic foods. Intern Emerg
Med, 2(3), 182-187.
Edlich and Drake present a good discussion on the USDA Organic Foods Production Act and its implications. Discusses new and future moves be USDA and EPA on organic foods.
- Severson, K., Spiegel, J.E., Novick, S.M.,
Cook, K., Feeney, K., DeNitto, E., and Stewart, S. (2007, August 19). In
pursuit of farm fresh flavor. The New York Times., p. LI1
Provides accounts of several people trying to lead locavore lifestyles. Also provides as brief history of the movement and how it started.
- Wu, O. (2005, June 1). Environment in
focus: Diet for a sustainable planet, the challenge: Eat locally for a month
(you can start practicing now). The San
Francisco Chronicle.
Article for San Francisco Bay area locavores. Provides good overview of local eating and the benefits, both to the consumer and producer. Includes tips to becoming a locavore and provides suggested menus and recipes.
Books
- Burke, C. (2007). To buy or not to buy organic: What you need to know to choose the healthiest,
safest, most Earth-friendly food. New York: Marlowe & Company.
A food journalist and former chef investigates organic foods. The book presents her investigation and all the benefits she found associated with an organic lifestyle. Burke shows people how to buy the healthiest food available and includes a shopper’s guide.
- Denckla, T.L. (2004). The gardener's A-Z guide to growing organic Food. North Adams, MA:
Storey Books.
Guide to growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts using organic methods. Includes detailed growing information for over 700 different plants. Denckla also covers over 200 methods of organic pest control.
- Gussow, J. D. (2002). This organic life: Confessions of a suburban homesteader. White
River Jct., VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
Memoirs of a women who 20 years ago committed to living an organic lifestyle and growing her own food. Includes gardening tips and recipes.
- Kingsolver, B., Hopp, S.L., &
Kingsolver, C. (2007). Animal, vegetable,
miracle: A year of food life. New York: HarperCollins Publisher.
Documents the authors’ commitment to a year of living on only locally grown organic food, with the majority being grown by themselves. The book also provides many resources to organizations that promote community supported agriculture. The book discusses benefits associated with a local organic diet.
- Pollan, M. (2007). The omnivore’s
dilemma: A natural history of four meals. New York: Penguin Publishing
Group.
Pollan writes about food, from how it is grown to how we eat it. He includes the less visible aspect of how it arrives on our plate, including the processing and shipping. Pollan's thesis is that Americans have become too far removed from their food sources.
- Roseboro, K. (2007). The Organic food handbook: A consumer's guide to buying and eating
organic food (1st ed.). Laguna Beach, California: Basic Health
Publications.
A concise, simple guide to eating and buying organic food. Discusses what is organic, how it’s grown and processed, and why it’s a better product.
- Smith, A. Mackinnon, J.B. (2007). The 100-mile diet: a year of local eating.
Toronto: Random House Canada.
A Canadian couple commit to living a year without eating anything outside of a 100-mile radius of their Vancouver home. The book gives many tips and much advice learned from their experiences.
Magazines
- Organic
gardening. Available online at http://www.organicgardening.com/
Respected bi-monthly magazine devoted to organic gardening. Has articles devoted to growing methods and related topics. Also provides tips for landscaping.
Websites
- 10 steps to becoming a locavore .NOW | PBS.
(November 2, 2007). Retrieved November 27, 2007, from http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/344/locavore.html
A website accompanying a PBS special about local eating. It provides a brief introduction to the concept and 10 ways to start eating local. Also provides a link to sources for local foods.
- 100 mile diet: Local eating for global change
(n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://100milediet.org/
A companion website to the book The 100-Mile Diet. Users can submit their own stories and places they go shopping for local products. The editors also maintain a blog to keep readers up-to-date.
- AMS at USDA - Farmers Market Query Page (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2008, from http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/
A directory run by the USDA to farmers markets around the country.
- Eat well guide :: Home. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 11, 2007, 2007, from http://www.eatwellguide.org
This website connects local organic farms, restaurants, and retailers with consumers in the United States and Canada. It has a zip code driven search engine for matching consumers and farmers. The site also provides cooking resources for seasonal eating.
- Foodroutes - Where does your food come
from? (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2007, from http://www.foodroutes.org/
Provides resources for buying local organically grown food. Educates consumers of routes food takes to get to their table.
- Local harvest / farmers market / family farms
/ CSA / organic food. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2007, from http://www.localharvest.org/
Local Harvest provides resources to local organic produce through zip code matching. Also, has an organic food store and links related to local and organic farming organizations.
- National organic program home. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/NOPhome.html
Homepage for the USDA’s Organic Program. Offers standards, literature, key issues, and questions and answers regarding the program.
- Organic - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2007, from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/organic/
Blog on organic and local foods maintained by the New York Times. Good up-to-date information and content.
- Organic consumers association. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 11, 2007, from http://www.organicconsumers.org
This site discusses benefits of an organic lifestyle and how to live so. Also has news and resources for related topics like genetic engineering and the political aspects of organic foods.
- Organic food home delivery nationwide overnight
by Diamond Organics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.diamondorganics.com/
Diamond Organics is a California-based retailer that sells organic foods. Offers a large variety of organic products that can be shipped overnight anywhere in the continental US.
- Organic foods, products and more at organic
mall. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.organicmall.com/default.php
An on-line store that sells organic foods. Provides lists of “best” companies that follow organic farming practices and educational materials.
- Organic foods: Are they safer? More
nutritious? – MayoClinic.com (2006). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255
Discusses the difference between organic and non-organic items in the grocery store. Provides breakdowns for reasons to buy or not buy and more buying tips.
- Organicfoodie.com (n.d.). Retrieved
November 25, 2007, from http://www.organicfoodee.com/
On-line magazine devoted to an organic lifestyle. Features many sections related to day-to-day living and interactive features for users to exchange information.
- Peak-Season Map at Epicurious.com (2008). Retrieved June 1, 2008, from http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap
An interactive map to find what fruits and vegetables are in-season in your state.
- Slow Food Buffalo. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 28, 2007, from http://www.slowfoodbuffalo.org/
Website of the local Buffalo chapter of Slow Food. Regularly posts updates with events and happenings related to slow food, local food, and organic foods taking place in the Buffalo area. Maintains lists of area food purveyors and restaurants that use local produce.
- Slow Food International. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 27, 2007, from http://www.slowfood.com/
Slow Food, an international non-profit organization, is dedicated to educating and inspiring people to take the time to enjoy their food and to know where it comes from. Their website provides links to more information about themselves, their publications, and related resources.
- Sustainable table. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 27, 2007, from http://www.sustainabletable.org/
Website dedicated to the sustainable food movement. Provides excellent information about the movement to eat local and has news stories and editorials. Gives recipes and ideas for the kitchen. Also presents positions on related topics.
-- Created November 2007 by Nathan Tallman