Do direct market farms use fewer agricultural chemicals?

What is it about?

Is local food better for the environment? Most studies asking this question consider whether fewer "food miles" mean fewer greenhouse gas emissions. But what about how food crops are actually grown? In this study, I look at 15 years of data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture to ask whether farmers who sell local food use fewer pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.

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Why is it important?

Are there good environmental reasons to buy local food? This is a crucially important question for anyone interested in whether local food systems deserve broad support.