Look who's LOCAL: Wal-Mart!

Posted by dlauderdale at 11:58 am, Thursday, August 14th, 2008
Posted in 

[img_assist|nid=33040|title=New harvest|desc=AP: Mennonites at a Virginia produce auction|link=node|align=center|width=425|height=auto]

  • Think LOCAL: The great satan of local businesses is helping sell goods for local, small farmers.

    This Associated Press story tells how the behemoth helps small growers, like Mennonites in Virginia:

    The demand for what small-scale farmers have to offer is burgeoning.

  • Wal-Mart last month said it would sell $400 million worth of locally grown produce this year, making it the largest player in that market. Its suppliers include "many Amish and Mennonite growers" who work through third party suppliers.
  • In June, Wal-Mart said it was stepping up its efforts to promote sales of South Carolina-raised fruits and vegetables at its stores by including prominent displays showing shoppers which items came are part of the state Agriculture Department's "Certified S.C. Grown" program.

    [img_assist|nid=33039|title=|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=450|height=225]

  • Lowcountry Local First: That's great, but in Beaufort County we need more local promotion like this:

    Lowcountry Local First is the 44th member organization in a national network of non-profits dedicated to strengthening their local economies, called the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

    Among its founding partners is Piggly Wiggly South Carolina, based in the Lowcountry.

    The international organization was founded on the following principles:

    Quote:

    a) Supporting the growth and development of community-based businesses;

    b) Encouraging local purchasing by consumers;

    c) Creating opportunities for business leaders to network and share "best-practices;" and

    d) Advocating for public policies that strengthen independent local businesses and farms, promoting economic equity, and protecting the environment.

    In these tough times, locals need to help locas.

    • Copyright 2013 The Island Packet / The Beaufort Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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