Why Grow Vegies

Why grow your own vegies?
By Mrs Clayton.
Growing your own vegetables has many positive benefits such as:
• Healthier food (you know what chemicals, if any, have been used)
• Exercise
• Working outdoors
• The whole family can join in
• Have a better understanding of how nature works.
• Organic, no chemicals
• Fresher, last longer
• It’s fun
• Less food miles
What are Food Miles?
We have talked a lot about food miles in the garden and farm. Food miles is a term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food, including the impact on global warming.
Food miles are a way of attempting to measure how far food has travelled before it reaches the consumer. It is a good way of looking at the environmental impact of foods and their ingredients.
Growing your own veg means the food itself creates no pollution on its way to the table.
• At school we’ve sown our own broccoli and carrot seed that we collected from the last crops. How does this lessen the food miles?
• We don’t use miles in Australia but kilometres instead, could we re-name this concept, any ideas?
• What else does our farm and garden produce that lessens the pollution associated with transporting goods?