"Wal-Mart to Buy More Local Produce"

by Stephanie Clifford in the N.Y.Times.

What do you think about this news?  

Read these provocative articles and talk to your friends:

"Wal-Mart Stores announced a program on Thursday that focuses on sustainable agriculture among its suppliers as it tries to reduce its overall environmental impact.

"The program is intended to put more locally grown food in Wal-Mart stores in the United States, invest in training and infrastructure for small and medium-size farmers, particularly in emerging markets, and begin to measure how efficiently large suppliers grow and get their produce into stores.

"Advocates of environmentally sustainable farming said the announcement was significant because of Wal-Mart's size and because it would give small farmers a chance at Wal-Mart's business, but they questioned how "local" a $405 billion company with two million employees - more than the populations of Alaska, Wyoming and Vermont combined - could be..."

"Wal-Mart Promises Local Food, While Big Ag Gears Up for a Fight"

By Paula Crossfield on the wonderful site called CIVILEATS

"There is no doubt that by its sheer size, Wal-Mart's plan will have a huge impact on buying and growing practices worldwide. ...This initiative has the potential to push forward regional food systems more quickly than the government would be able to through policy-focused rural redevelopment programs...

"But while Wal-Mart aims to bolster local communities by putting more money into the hands of farmers, critics argue that much of the money the consumer spends at the cash register will still leave the community. Marion Nestle writes  writes that the initiative could only truly help farmers if Wal-Mart, which has historically demanded the lowest prices from its suppliers, pays them fairly for their work..."