As of today, 1 percent of the food consumed in Rhode Island is produced here. But advocates of the locally sourced food movement want that percentage to grow significantly over the next four decades.
Rhode Island is a little small to produce all its own food. But if all of New England is looked at as a local source of food – a common-sense approach given the complementary nature of all six states' growing seasons and crops – a much more robust local production/consumption ecosystem can be established.
Advocates have set a target of having 50 percent of the food consumed in New England be produced in New England by 2060. The advantages of that kind of local sourcing are numerous.
First, the carbon footprint of the food being consumed would drop tremendously, meaning that the air we breathe would be cleaner. Second, since we would have greater control of the quality of the food being produced, it would be of higher quality (much fresher) and less susceptible to the contamination that some industrial farming is sometimes hit with. And it would create a robust workforce sector that would provide steady and satisfying employment.
A byproduct of more locally sourced food would be the redevelopment of our urban core communities, as more farmland is returned to production.
Is this goal a pipedream? Well, it will not be easy to accomplish, and it requires a true re-evaluation of what we eat. But the benefits are real. So what do you say, Rhode Island, is "50 by 60" worth putting on our to-do list? •