Publication: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Published: 09/14/2006
“By purchasing local produce, we support our farmers and our health,” says Tanya Swain, Executive Director of the Western Mountains Alliance, Farmington, Maine. Swain goes on to explain the importance of local agriculture. “Local agriculture,” she says, “is important for a host of reasons including its role in the rural economy, our region’s heritage, and most significantly its ability to supply fresh produce. And farming preserves the fielded landscapes that define our rural environment.” The Western Mountains Alliance is leading a regional effort to build a vital local foods system in Franklin and Somerset counties, Maine – a local food system that will invigorate those rural counties – through its “Eat Smart Eat Local” initiative. Through the initiative it recently published a booklet listing 53 local sources of fresh and health meats, breads, cheeses, eggs, fruits, berries, and vegetables produced on farms in the region. The booklet, “Farms and Farmsteads in Somerset County,” can be ordered by calling the Soil and Water District office at (207) 474-8324, ext. 102. For more information on Western Mountains Alliance visit www.westernmountainsalliance.org.
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