Professor writes about myths of ‘Locavores’

By: Rachel Nelson
www.universitystar.com

James McWilliams, associate history professor, wanted to get to the root of the locally grown food craze.
His findings led to the authorship of his book Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly.

McWilliams said he was inspired to research this topic when he observed a growing trend of people consuming food from local sources.

“I’m a historian, but one of the things historians are quite skeptical of is when everyone believes an idea without questioning it. It raises red flags,” McWilliams said.

Weighing on McWilliams’ mind was his observation advocates for small-scale agriculture promote going back to pre-industrial methods of farming.

“That is actually very bad for the environment,” McWilliams said. “Pre-industrial farming led to the Dust Bowl. It’s clear to me the sustainable food movement today has little knowledge of agricultural history.”

McWilliams wrote an article for The New York Times in the summer of 2007 presenting his view that food miles are not the best gauge of environmental efficiency.

“It got tons and tons of responses, pro and con,” McWilliams said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I really touched a nerve here.’ I thought maybe I should research it a little more.”

Eating local is an informal movement that has gained popularity during the past five years, according to information posted at Localvore.net.

“A localvore is a person who eats only locally-grown and produced food,” the Web site states.
McWilliams refutes the idea eating locally is the best option for environmentally cautious consumers in his book.

“We need to worry less about where our food comes from and more about what we’re eating,” McWilliams said. “We need to eat less meat and a wider range of fruits and vegetables. That is not only a healthier diet, but healthier for the environment.”

McWilliams, who is critical of the Localvore Movement, understands why people are enchanted with the idea of eating foods grown close to home.

“We all want to know where our food comes from, and if it’s coming from a local source then we feel more comfortable,” McWilliams said. “There is something very satisfying on shrinking the supply chain. We should do it, but we shouldn’t dilute ourselves into thinking we can do that everywhere. Local environments normally can’t support a broad range of food.”

Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology at the University of California, Davis, and co-author of Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food said she read McWilliams’ book thoroughly.

“I think that the local movement is interesting and nice, but it’s really a drop in the bucket of our huge agricultural problems,” Ronald said. “I really appreciate his book and putting that into perspective.
Ronald said consumers who focus on environmental friendliness should consider the big picture before vowing to eat locally.

“I think most people really do want to help the agricultural issues that we have so they eat locally, but sometimes they don’t think further than that,” Ronald said.

McWilliams said he believes many environmentalists desire to live ethically, but do not want to make sacrifices in order to achieve that.

“Buying and eating locally is not much of a sacrifice,” McWilliams said. “Reducing meat is a sacrifice.”
For McWilliams, the locally grown food trend boils down to one fact.

“If I want to be an ethical consumer and make sure that all my food comes locally because it’s local doesn’t mean it’s necessarily more efficient or that it was grown in a more responsible matter,” McWilliams said.