Posts Tagged ‘fayetteville ar’

Eating Local in Rural America

December 16th, 2009

In a post titled “Eating Local, Eating Rural,” Lisa R. Pruitt recently shared her experience of eating locally grown food in her home state of Arkansas. In doing so, she provides a little inspiration to small town entrepreneurs who have a green thumb and a little culinary expertise.   

Specifically, she highlights a “new-ish, upmarket-ish Fayetteville restaurant, The Greenhouse Grille,” that purchases food directly from farmers in the region around Fayetteville, AR. 

The Greenhouse Grille is an example of an urban restaurant that prepares foods grown in rural areas.  It’s also a great example of the rural-urban linkages that economic development professionals always talk about. 

Pruitt’s article, however, causes me to wonder:  Where are the rural restaurants selling foods grown in the region? I’m not aware of any in rural South Dakota. Are rural people willing to patronize restaurants with a local theme if it means they have to pay more for their meals?  Or is it just of a fanciful fad for upscale urbanites?

I’ve always looked at the locavore movement (like farmers markets and Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaigns) as an extension of a buy local mentality.  I think it’s also an excellent economic development strategy that focuses on poverty reduction.  At the same time, I realize some rural advocates see it as more of an urban thing that conflicts with a rural lifestyle. 

I, for one, would much prefer to support restaurants like The Greenhouse Grille that are found in rural settings.  Hopefully, bloggers like Pruitt will inspire more entrepreneurs to take up the challenge. 

 

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)