Commitment to Healthy Land: Local farmers value their land and actively work to maintain its health—it’s their livelihood, and they are accountable to their neighbors and community. Supporting our local food system helps sustain a healthy environment for current and future generations.
Addressing Local Environmental Issues: The proliferation of warehouses and housing developments in the Lehigh Valley poses significant challenges to our local environments and communities. Our best soils are being dug up and shipped away, while we deal with increased truck traffic, infrastructure costs, lower air quality, flooding, heat zones, and other factors that contribute significantly to climate change.
Benefits of Sustainable Farming: Sustainably grown food offers numerous benefits to the entire ecosystem. It is produced within our local foodshed by farmers at a scale appropriate for the area, involving minimal ecological disruption and processing. Sustainable farming prioritizes long-term environmental health by preserving topsoil, biodiversity, and rural communities. Local farmers frequently employ environmentally sustainable practices, including:
Soil Conservation: Sustainable farmers often engage in regenerative agriculture, working to actively regenerate soil health. They use cover crops to enhance soil nutrients, prevent erosion, and minimize weed growth. No-till or low-till farming methods reduce soil disturbance, improving water retention and nutrient cycling. Healthier soils lead to heartier plants that are less susceptible to pests, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): IPM minimizes the need for chemical pesticides by using biological control methods, such as insect predators, pest-resistant crop varieties, crop rotations, and intercropping to manage destructive insects.
Biodiversity: Sustainable farms cultivate a variety of crops, making the system more resilient to pests and market fluctuations while promoting beneficial insect habitats and soil microbial diversity.
Water Conservation: Sustainable agriculture employs better water management practices, such as drip irrigation, which can reduce water use by up to 50%. Healthy soils retain water more effectively, decreasing the need for intensive irrigation. Proper soil nutrient management prevents chemical runoff into local water sources.
Reducing Resource Intensity: Industrial agriculture is extremely resource-intensive, supporting large-scale, energy-intensive monocultures that consume vast amounts of water and chemicals. The U.S. spends about $239 billion annually on energy for food production, with 80-90% used in post-production processes such as processing, packaging, shipping, storage, and retail operations.
Addressing Industrial Animal Production: Industrial animal production generates billions of tons of waste, polluting land, water, and air. By committing to local meats, consumers reduce their carbon footprint, support ethical animal production, and divert revenue from large, abusive facilities.
