Although industrial farms produce food in mass amounts, it is not the best choice for our environment. In his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan shares, “When George Naylor's father spread his first load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, the ecology of his farm underwent a quiet revolution. Until then, the farm's nitrogen had been recycled in a natural loop. Legumes used the sun's energy to fix nitrogen in the soil. Other plants used the nitrogen to grow. Animals ate the plants and the farmer recycled the nitrogen by spreading the animals' manure on the soil” (42). Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer produced in a fertilizer plant. When fertilizer plants make fertilizer, the plants also emit Carbon Dioxide. Pollan expands, “But now the Naylors didn't need to produce their own nitrogen— they went out and bought it. The nitrogen for the fields would no longer be made with the sun's energy but with fossil fuels. Farming was no longer an ecological loop— it was more like a factory” (42). Since there is already an abundance of Carbon Dioxide, the emissions from the ferti lizer plants create an excess supply. This is dangerous because Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Although greenhouse gases are essential to life on Earth, excess amounts can cause climate change. Eating home-grown food helps the climate problem because you control the way its grown. You can grow food naturally instead of using ammonium nitrate or other dangerous chemicals that contribute to the rising amount of greenhouse gases which is a leading cause climate change. Eating home-grown food is also healthier because of the decrease in added chemicals and fertilizers. In my garden, my family has small plants including pepper plants, basil, rosemary, and a kumquat tree. This is an easy way to start out without devoting yourself to home-grown food. If home-grown food is too much of a hassle, there are also many farmers markets. There is a farmers market near me that has a wide variety of locally grown options. These options are grown by local farmers using no dangerous chemicals, otherwise used by industrial farmers. By just a small change in our food source, we can really change the world and reduce our Carbon Footprint. Works Cited: Chevat, Richie, and Michael Pollan. The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets behind What You Eat. Print.

I agree, Emma - this is a crucial issue.

I believe that it should also be considered a matter of national security to grow food locally.  And finally, local varieties of food (where farmers save seed that grow well locally) yields a wide supply of available strains that do well under very different condition: this is our future insurance in a changing climate.