Fruits and Vegetables: Better for Us and Better for the Economy
Posted on April 21, 2010 by
Please welcome today’s guest poster, Tara, who blogs at Go Green Street. If you would like to write a guest post for The Greenists, e-mail courtney at thegreenists dot com.
Fruits and vegetables aren’t only good for you, they are good for farmers and local workers as well. There’s a new study, done by Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and it found that increased fruit/vegetable farming in the northern part of the Midwestern U.S. can increase jobs and productivity when compared with an equivalent acreage of soybeans or corn.
The study was done by researcher Dave Swenson, and it looked at twenty-eight different kinds of vegetables and fruits that are able to grow in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota. Most produce sold in the area either comes from other states, or even from other countries.
Some other key findings:
- Increasing fruit and vegetable farming in those states will bring almost $900 million in sales and over nine thousand jobs, as opposed to only 2,578 jobs created by soybean or corn farming.
- If half of that produce was sold in farmer-owned and operated stores, over 1,400 stores and 9,652 workers would be needed.
- Only just over a quarter-million acres would be needed to grow enough fresh fruits and vegetables for the entire region.
The study further breaks down the figures by state and city, so it’s easy to see how your area could improve its situation. There are a lot of obstacles in increasing fruit and vegetable production in the Midwest — corn and soybean farmers are highly subsidized by the government, and good farmland is scarce. There’s also a poor infrastructure keeping the produce from getting to market. Despite all the negatives, the study gives us a starting point and proves that it is possible to create jobs, while growing more food in less space.
Guest Bio: Tara V. publishes GoGreenStreet.com, a light green living blog dedicated to offering tips on eco-conscious living. Mother of five beautiful kidlets, ages 3 months to 12 years, Tara loves all things eco-chic and natural. She considers herself “light green” among the shades of being green and enjoys organic coffee to keep her going. Visit GoGreenStreet.com today for more tips on going green!
Often, what’s good for the planet is also good for us in other ways, such as the economy. I love that! Thanks for the post, Tara!
This is such a great point! It’s not just about personal health and wellness, it’s for the greater good too!
@Courtney, Thanks for the opportunity!
@Allie, absolutely! Local farming or farming period provides income for many!
Is there anything not awesome about fruits and veggies? Seriously, they rock!