On September 4th, 2012, Renee Cho published an article on Columbia University's Earth Institute website. The article talked about how eating locally grown food does not worsen climate change as much as eating food that is grown far away. When you purchase food from far regions, the transportation process can burn a lot of fossil fuels. The US. Department of Agriculture stated that there was a 9.6% increase in National Farmers Market Directory listings from 2011 to 2012. For this topic, a 9.6% increase is considered to be rapid growth. This data shows that the local food movement is growing quickly. Aside form environmental benefits, there are also social and economic benefits to eating locally grown foods. Buying food from farmers near by does not only build a communal bond between citizens and farmers, but it increases the pay of farmers. At local farmers markets, the farmers can have complete control over their goods and prices. These markets allow them to get fair wages for the work and food that they supply us with. Another benefit to eating locally grown food is tha t you know exactly what happens to the food while being grown. For example, my grandfather has a garden of his own. When I eat food that he grows, I know exactly what preservatives, pesticides, and even fertilizers go into the growing process.