UC Merced study champions locally produced food

The local food movement gets a boost in new research out of UC Merced, which finds potential for plenty within 50 miles of most American cities.

The study projects that 80 to 85 percent of the nation’s people could get all of their food within that radius if farming practices changed to serve just local markets.

Some places, including the highly productive Modesto area, would have more than enough food within the circle to meet their needs. New York, Los Angeles and several other large cities would still have to buy most of their food beyond it.

“We’re asking, ‘Could you shift a good chunk of your diet to local food?’ and the answer is ‘yes,’” said Elliott Campbell, a professor of environmental engineering who conducted the research with graduate student Andrew Zumkehr.

Their paper feeds the debate in recent years over conventional farming, which relies on distant shipment of many foods. Most of the corn, wheat and soybeans come from the Midwest and Great Plains, while California serves up most of the fruits, vegetables and nuts. Meat and dairy are somewhat more evenly spread, but they are still a considerable distance from many consumers. Some foods come from abroad, such as bananas and other tropical fruit.

Advocates for eating closer to the source say it would boost local economies while reducing the impact on the environment of food production and transport.

“I think people want to know where their food comes from and they want to be more connected with the farmers,” Campbell said.

The paper is the cover story in the latest issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the flagship journal for the Ecological Society of America.

Devoting farms in the Modesto area to local consumers would cut into the extensive acreage devoted to crops that are mostly exported, notably the booming almond and walnut industries. The area also has many foreign buyers for its dairy products, wine and canned tomatoes and peaches.

“We’ve got to remember that we’re feeding a lot of people,” said Wayne Zipser, executive manager of the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau.

The group nonetheless supports local marketing – it just published the 2015 edition of Harvest Trails, a guide to produce stands and other venues – and Zipser said the area has room enough for all kinds of producers.

“We want our small farmers to thrive as well,” he said.

Campbell said the shift would be even greater if people followed the advice to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat and other animal products. Three times as much land is needed for a meat-intensive diet than for the alternative, he said. That’s mainly because of the land needed to grow feed.

A Ballico-area company called Ag Link has worked since 2012 to connect farmers with school districts looking for local foods for their cafeterias. It is now expanding under the Ag Link Food Hub name to serve restaurants, grocery stores and other commercial clients.

“There are really wonderful products right here in our backyard that everyone needs to be aware of,” said Jana Nairn, who started the company with her husband, Rob.

Ag Link employs five to seven people, depending on demand. Right now, its offerings include sweet peppers from Live Oak Farms near Le Grand, greens from Ratto Bros. near Modesto, watermelons from George Perry & Sons near Manteca, and blueberries from Riverdance Farms near Livingston.

For the study, Campbell and Zumkehr looked at data on farmland productivity around each city and estimated the calorie consumption by its residents. They found the lowest potential around several large cities, such as New York, Miami, Las Vegas and San Diego. But most of the country – including the Midwest, South and West Coast – could get at least 80 percent of their food locally.

This is the case even in places where growing seasons are shorter than California’s. The upper Midwest, for example, has extensive meat, dairy, grain and vegetable production.

The potential rises if the radius is extended to 100 miles, which is the definition of local food for some advocates. The study found that New York City could feed 5 percent of its population within 50 miles but as much as 30 percent within 100 miles.

A 100-mile radius around Modesto takes in an amazing bounty – our own stone fruit, nuts, vegetables, dairy, beef and poultry, along with Fresno-area citrus, Sacramento Valley rice and Salinas Valley salad greens.

Campbell said the shift would reduce the need for conventional fertilizer, derived mainly from natural gas, because nearby farms could use compost made from urban kitchens and landscaping waste.

The study drew praise from Michael Pollan, who teaches journalism at UC Berkeley and is a leading critic of conventional farming.

“Elliott Campbell’s research is making an important contribution to the national conversation on local food systems,” Pollan said in a news release. “That conversation has been hobbled by too much wishful thinking and not enough hard data – exactly what Campbell is bringing to the table.”

Campbell said society would benefit even if the shift to local food was a partial one. Exports could still be part of California’s agriculture economy, he said, and so could imports of items that do not grow here.

“You still get your pineapple from the tropics and your chocolate from other parts of the globe,” he said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2015 at 5:20 PM with the headline "UC Merced study champions locally produced food."