The localvores are curious: Could we raise most of our food here in New Hampshire?
A recent study out of the University of New Hampshire suggests we’re a long way from self-sufficiency:
One of the things we were originally asked about is can New Hampshire meet 100% of its food needs through local foods, and there’s a pretty big gap.
That’s Matt Magnusson, co-author of the study.
Currently, we can produce just 6% of what we need. Compared to Maine and Vermont at nearly 40%, we’re lagging far behind.
One reason: our mostly small farms have trouble producing the volume the large chains prefer. But that’s not the biggest problem:
New Hampshire has the lowest farm profitably, basically, in all of New England.
Increasing farm profitability, the study suggests, would be the best first step to a strong local food economy. But for the foreseeable future, the Buy Local mantra will remain more food for thought than the actual food most of us see on our plates.