Help Nature By Buying From Farmers Markets

Help Nature By Buying From Farmers Markets

With the demand for fresh and healthy food rising, farmers markets have been the go-to places for most people. These markets provide fresh produce direct from the farms, and at a friendlier cost.

Apart from fresh and cheaper produce, farmers markets also help to conserve nature. In fact, these markets play a critical role in the conservation of the environment. Here are ways that farmers markets are helping in nature conservancy:

Organic Farming

Farmers markets are run by local farmers who mostly practice organic farming. We know the many benefits that organic farming has to nature. First, organic farmers do not use synthetic fertiliser and pesticides. These are farming products that consume a lot of energy to produce. Therefore, a lot of greenhouse gases are released.

In addition, organic farmers do not use a lot of water as it is with conventional farming. So, this type of farming helps to save water. These are just some of the ways that buying from the farmers market helps to conserve natures.

Non-Industrial Farming

Farmers markets are dominated by small scale farmers who sell their products directly from their farm. So buying from these markets, you will be playing a critical role in reducing industrial farming. Most of the damages to the environment from farming comes from industrial farming.

To increase their production, industrial farms use chemicals such as synthetic fertiliser and pesticides. Most of these chemicals usually find their way into the water; hence, polluting it. In fact, these farms play a huge role in water pollution. Therefore, every environment conscious person should try to buy from farmers markets.

Conserve Fuel

Do you know where the farm produce in your supermarket come from? You will be surprised to learn that they get supplies from thousands of miles away. That simply means you will be indirectly supporting environmental degradation because a lot of energy is used to transport these foods. That’s a convincing reason for buying from the farmers market. The produce usually comes from nearby farms, and thus, the amount of greenhouse gases produced is lower. That’s another way farmer’s markets help to conserve nature.

being green rally

Most Farmers low-Impact Practices

Due to their small-scale farming, most farmers bringing produce to the market adopts low-impact practices. Most of them practising composting, which is one of the best practices to mitigate nature degradation. With composting, they can use the decomposing organic matter to form organic manure, which is then used as fertiliser.

Small-scale farmers also practice mulching in a bid to reduce the cost of watering the crop. These are just some of the low impact farming practices that help to save climate change by keeping the environment less polluted. This is another reason for buying from the farmers market.

Improved Biodiversity

Another way that farmers markets conserves the environment is by improving biodiversity. One thing that industrial farming does is capitalising on the food that matures fast. They also grow food that has thicker skin that can withstand mechanical harvesting as well as long transport. But small-scale farmers are able to plant a vast range of plants including the most perishable ones.

So local farmers provide a lot more plants than what you can get in supermarkets. So they have better biodiversity compared to what the industrial horticulture farming offers. Higher biodiversity is also beneficial to nature and goes a long way to preserving the ecosystem.

Promotes Healthy Soil

healthy soil

The health of the soil is one of the crucial factors that affect nature. Industrial farming has played a significant role in degrading soil quality. The use of synthetic fertiliser and pesticides has contributed to poor soil and more so soil erosion. They also use chemicals to kill weed hence leaving the fertile topsoil exposed to runoff water and strong wind.

Farming input chemicals also kill microorganisms that make the soil fertile. But most small-scale farmers practise organic farming. They don’t use chemicals hence improving the health of the soil.

Buying from the farmers market is the best decision that everyone can make. Apart from getting high-quality organic food, you will also help to save nature. Less energy is needed to transport food to the market, which helps to reduce greenhouse gases.  So, you will be saving nature by buying from these markets.