Fresh from the parking lot

What if your food was grown just outside your grocery store? Plus, the Farm Bill SNAP debate.

AuthorAuthor

Lena Beck & Modern Farmer
September 29, 2024

Hello! Lena here, staff writer at Modern Farmer.

Every time I pick something up in the grocery store, I ask myself, where did this come from? I find tomatoes from a nearby farm, oranges from across the country, and bananas imported from South America. The shelves of our markets create a world atlas.

When it comes to food, closer doesn’t always mean better. But, the more local something is, the easier it can be to achieve supply chain transparency. 

So, what if your food was grown at the grocery store itself? Check out a few places that are exploring that idea.

While you’re at it, learn about the Farm Bill’s SNAP debates and how industrial agriculture can lead to nitrate pollution for rural drinking water.

Harvested fresh from the parking lot. How grocery stores are breaking down supply chains by growing their own hyper-local produce.
Read More

An aerial shot of rows of veggies growing in the letters I G A.

IGA’s rooftop garden | Photo: Voir Vert

Also fresh this week

A flyer that says "SNAP welcome here" hangs in a store window.

Photo: Shutterstock

SNAP has been a point of contention between politicians for decades since the program’s inception. With less than a month to pass a new Farm Bill, can this debate be put to rest in time?

Pivot irrigation system and drainage canal | Photo: Claire Carlson

And federal water laws don’t make this pollution easy to address.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!

~ LB

Weekly Action | Support a fair Farm Bill with Food & Water Watch’s Action Alert. Support a Fair Farm Bill! | Food & Water Watch (foodandwaterwatch.org)

Hungry for more? Check out the Modern Farmer Solutions Hub for stories that feature progress and innovation from across the food system.