Oklahoma's government, like those of 45
other states, funds a farm-to-school program encouraging cafeterias to
buy their food from local sources. U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree
(D-Maine) wants to help; she recently introduced the Eat Local Foods Act (HR 5806) to assist schools in providing local foods in school lunches.
From Michelle Obama's White House garden to grants from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food"
initiative, an agenda has emerged to give local foods more prominence on
our dinner plates. Interestingly, no agricultural economist has
informed the public that a key claim of local-food advocates—that
local-food purchases enhance the local economy—violates the core
economic principles taught in every introductory economics class. Until
now.
We are not against consumers choosing to buy local food, and indeed,
we both regularly stroll through our local farmers' market. What we
find disturbing is the state or federal policy agenda on local foods and
the almost complete silence of agricultural economists on its adverse
consequences.
1 Comments in Response to The Locavore's Dilemma: Why Pineapples Shouldn't Be Grown in North Dakota
I wonder if the author feels the same about factories. If several large factories moved into Phoenix, Arizona who manufactured say various solar products that people would buy, including local people, and that situation allowed the factories to hire local people who could then afford to shop locally and internationally, would that hurt the Phoenix economy?