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- Sustainability Resources: Local Food and Agriculture
Local Food and Agriculture
As food and food security is a central pillar of life, sustainability in the way that we produce and acquire it is important. A very significant environmental impact of our food system is that of its distribution and transportation. The closer the food is produced to the people that consume it, the lower that impact. The following sections provide more information about different ways that we can support sustainable local food practices.
Home Gardening Resources
The freshest and most local that you can get is to grow your own food, of course.
Home gardening involves cultivating plants, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, in one's own yard, balcony, or even indoors. It is a versatile and rewarding activity that can be tailored to various spaces and skill levels.
The following are some resources for helping you do that.
Community Gardens
If we don't have space in our home environments for producing our own food, we are fortunate enough to live in a town where we can take advantage of a community garden.
A community garden is a shared open space where a group of people from a neighborhood or community come together to cultivate plants, including vegetables, fruits, flowers, and even herbs or pollinator-friendly plants.
They're often sited in a modest section or plot of` a larger public space like a park, as it is in Lyons.
CSAs
Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? Or wanted to ask the farmer questions? Well, if you participate in a CSA, you can see and ask for yourself!
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model where consumers and farmers form a direct partnership to share the benefits and risks of food production. Consumers purchase shares of a farm's harvest in advance, typically before the growing season, providing farmers with crucial upfront capital to cover costs like seeds, tools, and labor. In return, members receive regular distributions of fresh, locally grown produce and other farm products throughout the season.
Short of growing/raising your own food, that's likely to be the freshest food that you will have access to. There are a handful of CSAs in the Lyons area that you can find with an internet search.