Do global imports support local economies?
Dear James and Alisa,
I have often wondered how my choice to seek seasonal local stuff and to avoid southern imports of fruits and veggies (California, Chile, Mexico, etc.) affects their local economies. And then I saw this article:
Air freighting vegetables from Africa is a small contributor to Britain's carbon emissions
By Kimani Chege
January 22, 2007
NAIROBI--There is growing concern that carbon dioxide emitted when transporting food over long distances contributes significantly to global warming.
But researchers at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) have urged British policymakers and consumers not to undermine the trade in fresh fruits and vegetables flown from sub-saharan africa in efforts to reduce these "food miles".
Read the rest of this story at SciDev.net
Yours Truly,
Pamela Zevit
Dear Pamela,
This is a complicated subject, and one we hope to address at length at some point. In brief, though, we stand by the idea that most people should be consuming more local food, and relying less on the global food chain, and when eating from the global chain, it makes sense to buy fair trade products.
The costs and benefits for developing nations are very difficult to weigh. While purchasing products form subsaharan Africa supports a certain type of economic development, for example, it is also subsaharan Africa that is expected to suffer disproportionately from global climate change--which is fueled in part by food miles.
Best,
James
