Locavore Movement Dbq Essay

Writing an argument is something all strong writers know how to do. By learning from other peoples mistakes and the different types of methods writers become more persuasive in their arguments. The Toulmin method is one way to analyze an argument. Stephen Toulmin created this method to better understand and examine the pieces of an argument in order to decide the effectiveness of it. In the article “The Locavore Myth: Why Buying from Nearby Farmers Won’t Save the Planet”, James E. McWilliams argues that although the locavore movement has brought attention to industrialized food, the movement still does not prevent the damage that is being done to the earth.

Locavores are misinformed idealist who believe in changing the world by eating locally. They believe by eating locally, they are improving their carbon footprint, help the local economy, and creating a more nutritional diet. However, locavores are ignorant of many situations such as many people’s lives depend on trade and that many places are not suitable for farming. Even though a locavore’s heart is heading in the right direction, but their efforts are misguided.

There is a growing trend in British Colombia in favor of eating locally produced food. They are called the “Locavores” they claim that 100-mile food is the way to a more sustainable agriculture and consumption. In the article “The Locavores Dilemma” the author Christopher Pelletier describes why this trend is not the route to go. I strongly agree with the perspective of Pelletier on the Lacavore’s choice due to

For all people, having access to wholesome, cheap food is a fundamental right. People who live in food deserts, which are places with little access to cheap and wholesome food options, may find that this is not always the case. Food deserts are most prevalent in low-income metropolitan areas where inhabitants have few mobility choices to reach full-service supermarkets. The issue is intricate and varied because it affects not just people's health but also the local economy. Therefore, it is crucial to consider all options for addressing the issue of food deserts.

When you buy from grocery stores, the money you spent doesn’t end up helping your community, it goes to the state. With local farms, the money you spend goes directly to the farmers. This money you’re paying them is actually worth twice as much income for the local community rather than the state as a whole (Source A). Many may argue that communities in other countries don’t get twice as much income because they have to sell their products around the world (Source C). With the locavore movement, these countries who are struggling, can grow their crops and products and sell them to their communities to help them receive twice as much income as communities in the United States are.

We were asked to read two articles one was “On Buying Local” by Katherine Spriggs and the other was “What’s Eating America” by Michael Pollan. In the article “On Buying Local,” Spriggs showed a great use of logos when she stated that it was better for us to buy locally because it was better for the environment. Spriggs gives us several reasons why we should give up “a little bit of convenience” in favor of helping the environment. Farmers wouldn’t have to lose their farms to larger farms, smaller farms could be more sustainable by using natural and local resources, and there would be fewer emissions. This idea has been meeting with some opposition people worry of economic damage, but Spriggs has shown the argument and counterarguments with the proof of how the argument is flawed.

"Locavore: The Pros and Cons of Becoming One." Page River Bottom Farm. Page River Bottom Farm, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Miller, James S. "Ethics: Eating Locally/Thinking Globally."

The Locavore’s Dilemma is an article written by Christophe Pelletier. In this article he explains as to why buying food exclusively inside a 100 miles radius is not a wise or sustainable choice. He says that while in the future changes to the production and transportation of food may change, limiting yourself to food within a 100 mile range is not the right way to go. In The Locavore’s Dilemma he is successful in developing the writing so that people understand why we need to buy food from farther than 100 miles, he has made a very organized article to follow, and his expression is very easy understand the point he is trying to get across.

Locavore Position As “locavores” becomes gradually apparent in society, the term newly introduced to a grand population appears questionable and unfamiliar. The term “locavore” is defined as person who only eats locally grown/produced products as much as possible, and they are also generally advocates for the cause they support. Locavores believe that there is greater nutritional value and memorable personal experiences, yet there is no concrete evidence that suggests that locavores should be the grand decision. Choosing imported goods should be an effective way of allowing mass production to feed a large population along with accessibility.

The Locavore Movement is aimed to increase the nutrition in foods and reduce pollution. The Locavores, which are people of this movement, have decided to eat locally grown or produce products as much as possible. The key issues of these movement are to eat healthy, fresh food and increase the preservation of the environment. Still, these movement has some implications that might affect the consumer like less variety of foods and a price increase in products.

There are many debates on whether the organization of a locavore movement in a local community would be beneficial or not. There is an abundance of people against the locavore movement, consequently people still think it’s beneficial to the community. With this information in mind, it’s clearly believed that organizing a locavore movement would be beneficial towards a local environment. One of the benefits of being a locavore is being portrayed in Source G.

The solution to the problem to the environmental decay caused from the byproducts of the cattle raising industry is to shift our world’s diet from a meat based diet to a diet consisting of plants and meat substitutes. The end of meat consumption would free up vast amounts of land; over 33 million square kilometers of land is currently being occupied by cattle which is roughly the size of Africa according to AsapScience. Although much of this land is now to dry to use, with artificial nutrients and proper care it’s possible much of this land could return back to its natural state of grassland or forests which could in turn help combat global climate change. The end of meat consumption would also massively reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emission because livestock account for roughly 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions which is more than all trains, planes, and cars combined according to health scientist Bryan Walsh. It would immensely reduce our water consumption because about 70% of all freshwater consumption is used for agriculture.

Even though East Tennessee has developed into an urban area over the last 18 years, I am fortunate to have been raised on a farm in the heart of the tri-cities. Typical farm life cultural values include the utmost reverence for family, faith, hard work, and individualism. With my immediate and extended family, I am a small farmer and the things that I value most in life are family, faith, friends, and my animals on the farm. The myth that small farmers are not intelligent or important is not true. Small farmers are very important for many reasons they keep farming alive for the future generations to come, they produce local food supplies, they are self-reliant independent individuals but believe in helping their neighbors.

Because there are many areas unable to support a local community with food, there are some areas where a locavore movement will fail since there wouldn’t be nearly enough production to feed a community Locavores are trying to mean and do well with what seems a positive and smart movement, but there are always cons to every great idea. Everything that people need or want can’t be grown within the limits of being considered “local”. Some products need certain weather conditions that aren’t provided in certain areas. There are also some areas that can’t grow food such as urban areas. Take Chicago for an example.

Eating locally is better for both the environment and health in general. Our population needs to revert back to old ways of natural, community food growth. In his article, Michael Pollan wrote, ”The most promising food activism is taking place at the grassroots: local policy initiatives are popping up in municipalities across the country, alongside urban agriculture ventures in underserved areas and farm-to-school programs.” This means more food activism and less buying industrial.