In our increasingly homogeneous world, there is something extremely satisfying about buying something that has been grown, produced or lovingly hand crafted by someone within one’s own community. This is one of the reasons why the #KnysnaMade initiative was launched. Over the past year many awesome and unique local products were discovered and unveiled.
Far reaching benefits
Buying local has both far reaching benefits for the community and the environment. Across the board research studies have shown that small-scale, locally owned businesses create communities that are more prosperous, more strongly connected, and generally better off across a wide range of metrics. Where you buy your daily bread, so to speak, is more important than many think.
Here are just a few good reasons why buying and supporting local is so lekker!
- When buying from an independent, locally-owned business, rather than nationally-owned businesses, more money stays and flows within the community, which serves to strengthen its economic base.
- Locally made, one-of-kind products form an integral part of the character of the greater Knysna area. The area has become widely known for its unique arts and crafts and local residents are certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to the wide variety of unique local goods available.
- When you buy local produce you are supporting local farmers. And there is certainly no shortage of fantastic farmers markets in the area – the Harkerville Market, The Friday Night Market, the Wild Oats Market, The Sedgefield Mosaic Market and the Scarab Market. Here a cornucopia of fresh, high quality local produce can be found.
- Buying local food produce is better for your health. Fresh produce loses nutrients quickly and locally grown food, purchased and eaten soon after harvest is a much better option than eating produce that has been travelling for miles on a truck only to line the shelves of a big chain supermarket for weeks afterwards.
- Buying local helps save the environment. When you consider the carbon footprint of transporting goods long distances to consumers, it makes total sense to buy your products locally. The individual choices we make on a daily basis affects the environment in which we live, so make sure to minimize the field to fork journey of your food and buy local.
Happy shopping!