Staying True to Our Roots
In the wake of such eye-opening books as Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a series of national food safety crises have caused more Americans to think about the source of their food. Environmental concerns over confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) pollution and health impacts, food miles and the use of fossil-fuel-based chemicals in industrial agriculture have led a large number of conscious eaters to “go local.”
The number of farmers’ market and community-supported agriculture (CSA) offerings continue to expand yearly as consumers support local farms with greater enthusiasm. But when these programs run for only five or six months out of the year, how can dedicated “locavores” continue to find local foods to put on the dinner table?
A group of like-minded people in and around Wooster, Ohio have a proposed solution—Local Roots Market and Café, a year-round downtown hub for local farmers to connect with customers and to sell produce, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs and other food products grown, raised, or processed in Ohio. The market will place emphasis on items from Wayne and neighboring counties, and farmers will be encouraged to use ecological and sustainable agricultural practices to meet consumer demand.
The steering committee for the organization plans to locate the market in a county-owned building in the heart of Wooster, close to the space used by the seasonal Downtown Farmers’ Market. Renovations will be required to make the building more energy-efficient, so the market will be developed in phases.
Phase one will begin later this summer, offering a small-scale market for specialty items in support of the farmers’ market, as well as a place to expand local food availability beyond the farmers’ market season. An online ordering system will enable customers to order food directly from producers, and the central location will provide a drop-off point for farmers, room for sorting and a place for twice-weekly pickups. Future phases will include the expansion of the indoor year-round market, the development of an onsite café and bakery (featuring locally grown foods), a community processing kitchen, and educational and cultural events.
Since the organizers of the market have a keen interest in broader issues of sustainability, Local Roots will partner with the Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network (WCSEN) for a variety of collaborative projects. WCSEN will organize the energy audit of the building and assist with information and expertise on retrofitting the building and installing a solar array for electrical supply. WCSEN will also share space in the building, locating an office and meeting place in the facility and providing the initial contributions to a shared sustainability resource center, with books and DVDs on green energy topics as well as equipment to help community members find ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
Local Roots will be operated as a cooperative, and membership shares will be available for purchase. All producers who wish to sell at the market will be required to purchase a membership, but customers may choose to become members or not.
Many people in the community see this as a way not only to celebrate and support local agriculture but also to choose a more sustainable, energy-efficient food system and to build a more solid local economy. There are plenty of good reasons to grow Local Roots.
For more information, visit www.localrootswooster.com or email info@localrootswooster.com.