Hyperlocavore

What's a hyperlocavore? Well, it's not someone who is hyper and happens to be a locavore. Let's break this down. A locavore is someone whose food is grown and produced locally. Add hyper to it, and it's an exponentially more committed locavore. Being a locavore isn't always easy. While there's a growing food movement that seeks to "unplug" from our industrial food grid by opting for local food sources, it can be a daunting task, especially if you can't grow your own food or don't have access to local farms.

However, I just found out about a "hyperlocavore" community that promotes "yardsharing." What is yardsharing? Well, it extends beyond just "love thy neighbor" to working with community members to collectively share all of your local food resources. For example, I live in an apartment but fortunatetly have a small backyard with a lemon tree and I'm growing some herbs. I share these goods with my friend, Jenna, who happens to give me loquats from the tree in her yard (also an apartment dweller) Another friend down the street, Barbie, is growing lots of tomatoes in pots and she certainly can't eat them all by herself!

Yardsharing is about a communal commitment to sustainable agriculture that facilitates an integrated approach. We can't change the food system individually. We can each make an impact, but our impact will be much greater if we work together, share our resources and we will enjoy truly local foods. Yardsharing can be an important part of the puzzle to developing robust, sustainable local food systems.

Learn more at hyperlocavore.

(picture: Young Toymaker, Flickr Creative Commons