Locavores, feminism, and the question of meat.

A new approach to eating has emerged in America in the last five years; adherents call themselves “locavores” and argue for the value of eating local, sustainably grown food as a better model for both human health and the environment. Although the term locavore was coined recently (in 2006, by Jessica Prentice in her book Full Moon Feast), the concept has so appealed to Americans, the label almost immediately took on a life of its own. By 2007, theNewOxford American Dictionary chose “locavore” as its word of the year. Since then, the concept of eating locally has gained national attention. But what exactly is a locavore and what does locavorism have to do with feminism? Or, for that matter, with meat? A brief history and ideological overview of the locavore movement precede this feminist analysis of locally grown (pasture raised, sustainable, grass fed, free range) meat. The question of meat is perhaps the most contested aspect of local eating for several reasons; while there is very little debate about the politics or morality of local fruits or vegetables, local meat has a variety of critics from several different angles, most notably vegans on the one side (who argue that we do not need meat in our diet at all) and industrial apologists on the other (who argue that cheap industrialized meat is necessary to meet consumer demand). Thus, the argument moves in two different directions at the same time. The work of feminist theorists Val Plumwood and Donna Haraway provide a basis for suggesting that current industrial practices (that produce cheap meat) are unsustainable and deeply problematic; however this does not mean one needs to give up meat and other animal products entirely. Certain forms of feminism offer clear thinking about a middle way, a way that suggests that animals can be raised well, that “killing well” is not only possible, but from some perspectives, it is necessary. Feminist formulations of the relationships between humans, nature, gender, and culture, especially around questions of food and meat, shed a great deal of light on the value of the local farm. Indeed, the conclusion suggests that feminism offers a qualified endorsement of local eating, especially local meat eating; it also offers advice about future directions local food activism should take.