The Locavore Myth Summary

McWilliams claims that buying locally grown food is not actually better for the planet and states his claim in the title of the essay; “The Locavore Myth: Why Buying from Nearby Farmers Won’t Save the Planet”. Although McWilliams presents the opposing viewpoint first, he should also state his main claim in the first paragraph so the reader will understand what the author’s position is, even if the reader did not read the title. Jumping directly into his grounds for the claim without stating the claim may leave the reader confused.

2. McWilliams supports his claim that buying locally grown food is not necessarily better through a main example of a 2006 study that found lamb transported from New Zealand to England had less of an environmental

McWilliams does provide examples and statistics, as well as a calculation demonstrating the importance of considering food per gallon of fuel instead of how many miles traveled. McWilliams provides a wide variety of reasons in favor of his position, although some do not relate directly to the topic on environmentally friendly food. For example, he uses an emotional appeal of asking us to consider the livelihoods of 1.5 million sub-Saharan farmers who are threatened by the modern locavore movement. For all his statistics, many of them, including the previously mentioned farmers, are not cited and the reader does not know if the information is accurate. To provide adequate backing, he needs to cite his sources and offer more of them, especially more directly related to his claim that locally grown food is not necessarily better for the planet.

5. Most of McWilliams’ writing uses modal qualifiers, for example describing “a lot of them”, “most English lamb,” “most of their leftovers,” “ethically concerned consumers,” “a majority of the water,” and “The average American”. McWilliams could have effectively used modal qualifiers when he discusses the locavores, such as when he says “Locavores argue that buying local food supports an area’s farmers and, in turn, strengthens the community”. Not all locavores may be arguing this-some might simply buy locally because they prefer the way local food