What does that mean exactly?

It means eating food that is better for you and the environment. Locally-grown food requires less valuable natural resources to get to your table.

How can you do your part?

Here are some steps:

• Learn what foods are in season in your area and try to build your diet around them.
• Shop at a local farmers’ market, or a supermarket that carries locally produced produce.
• Ask the manager or chef of your favorite restaurant, supermarket and/or cafeteria how much of the food on the menu is locally grown, and then encourage him or her to source food locally.
• Buy extra quantities of your favorite fruit or vegetable when it is in season and experiment with drying, canning, jamming, or otherwise preserving it for a later date.
• Plant a garden and grow as much of your own food as possible.
• Better yet, pick up a pitchfork at a local community supported agriculture program. There you can learn how land can be transformed into a more natural way of life.

This article orignally appeared on www.heifer.org. Used with permission.