I'm no expert, but aren't there other reasons that local food is a good idea, at least for foods that can be grown locally (e.g. there's no such thing as a Michigan banana)? For example, there are a lot of community gardens around my neighborhood. They make the place so much more pleasant, IMO, because it turns an abandoned lot into a well manicured space with lots of different types of plants. The argument that urban farms disaggregate populations is specious, because it's typically only already unused space that is used for gardening in the first place. No one is buying high priced real estate to turn into a garden. Also, lots of perishable food can only be grown locally. Some varieties of tomatoes that taste quite a bit better do not ship well. Therefore, aggregating all agriculture would kill a lot of otherwise desirable food. Lastly, there is some (difficult to quantify) value in knowing a bit about where your food originates from. I'm not arguing with the calculus of CO2 emissions; I've seen several reports that support the argument that local foods can be more CO2 intensive. But I think there are other factors besides CO2 that matter. I think if we quit a lot of the vast farm subsidies, then greenhouse gas emissions would drop enough (by the rising price of meat that would be inevitable) to offset those emission created by the limited number of people who drive the local food movement.
"I want a Michigan banana." That's what she said. Also, my local Metro-Detroit farmer's market (Clarkston) has broccoli, kale, tomatoes, squash, and even organic chicken and beef that are far better than anything I can get without driving a half-hour, or better, round-trip to a specialty store.
My family and I take every advantage of walking to the market (saving some CO2 emissions in the process) whenever it's open.
It sounds as though for you, buying food locally is about quality and convenience and not about ecology. I think there is more to why people buy locally than is emphasized in this piece. I don't think it is "primarily about environmental impacts," for most people but it's about eating good stuff.
Reasons I can think of off the top of my head why I want to buy local food (none really have anything to do with the carbon footprint): * want to support local businesses and small farms * (hand in hand) don't want to support "Big Farma" * want to know what is in my food and what my food is treated with, find it a LOT easier to find this information out if you talk to the person who grew your food as opposed to go to a supermarket * a day at a farmer's market is a much more enjoyable and engaging experience than an hour or two in a grocery store! * tying in with the above, want to feel connected to my local community * the opportunity for learning is endless! go talk to a farmer. seriously. go do it. ask him about soil composition and nitrate and "how does this work?" and "what kind of problems do you experience with x crop?" buying from a local farmer has a potential to build a relationship and gain some interesting, job-specific knowledge that most people don't have anymore. * want to be able to experience foods, or types of foods, that I can't get from "Big Farma" or a supermarket and maybe can't grow on my own, like heirloom tomatoes for instance or - see that apple article? how about a different kind of apple than the popular 5? Frankly, I had never considered carbon footprint as a reason for why I believe it's beneficial to try to eat locally.