HOW TO SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION chronic disease prevention ). 10 But getting farmers to adopt these practices will take time , awareness raising , and training .
Some politicians like to romanticize farming , but it is a business that supports many families and employees , so any changes in farming practices , e . g ., increasing production to meet more demand , must also provide reasonable farm income . While there are some financial incentives at the county , state and federal level , much more are needed to help farmers switch to regenerative practices that enable them to grow more food and grow it better .
We need to create aggregation and distribution centers where farmers can deliver produce that can then be repackaged and sent to final destinations . We need to invest in refrigeration , cleaning , processing , and packaging equipment .
Restoring and increasing local food production and building the systems it relies on will take time and money . We need to create aggregation and distribution centers where farmers can deliver produce that can then be repackaged and sent to final destinations . We need to invest in refrigeration , cleaning , processing , and packaging equipment . A local farm produce aggregation hub in Derwood now makes it possible for nonprofits , educational , and social services organizations to purchase local farm produce . Within a few months of starting , four organizations have reached out to buy from this small hub because they prioritize and value the benefits of locally grown food . We need to educate more consumers about why they should preferentially “ buy local ” ( and pay a bit more ). Our policy makers
n Buy local & promote the value of buying local to your friends and neighbors . Local produce is fresher , and every dollar spent locally multiplies ( The Institute for Local Self Reliance ’ s study found that $ 100 spent at local independents generated $ 45 of local spending , compared to $ 14 for a big-box chain .) n
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Sign up to get your food locally through Community Supported Agriculture . www . montgomerycountymd . gov / agservices / farm-to-table / csa . html Educate yourself about our food system ; help do the research and collect data needed to support increasing local food production . Plant fruit and nut trees , vegetables , and perennial herbs on your property . Learn about permaculture . en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Permaculture Eat seasonally ; vegetables and fruits in season tend to be fresher , more nutritional , and produced closer to our area . ( See also bit . ly / FRWG-EatSeasonally ) Encourage the County and your local government to plant food forests ( which have a cooling co-benefit , too ). en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Forest _ gardening Support funding of programs , such as those listed in the article . Advocate for programs & policies to support increasing local food production , e . g ., via the County ’ s Office of Agriculture . www . montgomerycountymd . gov / agservices Join the Climate Coalition Montgomery County ’ s Food Resilience Working Group ( FRWG ). bit . ly / FRGW-Mission
HOW TO SUPPORT THE FOOD INSECURE
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Buddhist Relief , www . tara . org / buddhist-reliefnews / food-insecurity-in-montgomery-county n Community Farmshare , www . communityfarmshare . org n
Community Food Rescue , www . communityfoodrescue . org / farm-to-food-bank n Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming , www . ckcfarming . org / programs-and-impact n MidCounty United Ministries , mumhelp . org /