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Supporting Local Farmers and Small Businesses: How Your Choices Strengthen Your Community

Updated: 10 hours ago

Growing up on a farm, I saw firsthand how hard farmers work. Farming is not a job where you clock in and out. It’s a way of life. Farmers put in long, demanding hours, often before sunrise and after sunset, caring for crops and animals that their entire year depends on.


They don’t get paid every week like most jobs. They get paid when the crops sell, when the animals sell, or when the season is good enough to bring in a profit. Some years are generous. Others barely break even. They keep going anyway, working in hope, not certainty.


That’s why I care about supporting local farmers. They are not just selling food —they are feeding families, preserving traditions, and sustaining communities.


But if I’m honest, I also support them because I want to help myself. Fresh food straight from the farm just tastes better.


A woman browsing fresh produce at an open-air farmers market, selecting locally grown fruits and vegetables from small vendor stands.
Choosing local isn’t just a purchase it’s an investment in your community’s future.

The Taste of Real Food

Food from local farms is grown to be eaten, not shipped or stored. When you buy directly from farmers, you get food at its peak full of nutrients, flavor, and color. Grocery store produce might look perfect, but it’s often picked early and ripened artificially during transport.


A tomato from the store might look red and smooth, but the taste can’t compare to one picked ripe from the vine. The texture might be right, but the flavor is missing. That deep, rich taste that bursts with summer sunshine only comes from fresh, local produce.


The Harvard School of Public Health notes that locally grown food often contains more nutrients because it is harvested closer to the time it’s eaten. Fewer preservatives, fewer chemicals, and more natural goodness. Supporting farmers is not only good for the community it’s good for your body and mind too.


When I buy local, I feel better about what I’m putting into my body. I know where it came from, who grew it, and what went into it. It is food I can trust.


The Heart of Small Business

Just like farmers, small business owners work long, hard hours. They put their savings, time, and energy into something they believe in. They wear every hat owner, employee, accountant, marketer, and sometimes even janitor.


I have always supported small businesses because I understand how much effort goes into them. I have an MBA, and I work in IT, so I don’t always get to use my business skills in my daily job. But I have used them to volunteer and help others build their dreams.


One of my favorite experiences was helping a cook open his own restaurant. He knew how to create amazing food, but he didn’t know the business side inventory, paperwork, or online marketing. I had worked in restaurants and even managed a 7-Eleven once, so I knew how to help. Together, we built a system for tracking food costs, managing inventory, and keeping his finances in order. I even helped with his website.


He didn’t have time to go through all the paperwork with the Small Business Administration or look for programs that could help. He was too busy working in the kitchen, making the business run. Like many small business owners, he didn’t have a team or resources he just had determination.


That’s what I love about small businesses. They’re built by people who care deeply about what they do. They put their heart into their work, and it shows. When you buy from them, you’re not just purchasing a product or service you’re supporting a dream.


How Supporting Local Helps You

Every dollar you spend locally has a ripple effect. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that for every $100 spent at a local business, roughly $68 stays in the community. That money supports schools, jobs, and local infrastructure. When you spend it at large national chains, only about $43 stays local.


Beyond economics, buying local gives you something more valuable connection. You get to know the people behind the products. The farmer who grew your vegetables. The baker who made your bread. The craftsman who built your furniture. These relationships bring meaning to everyday purchases.


Supporting small businesses also helps you feel more rooted in your community. You start to see how everyone depends on one another. You realize that every purchase can be a vote for the kind of world you want to live in one that values people, quality, and integrity.


The Circle of Giving and Receiving

Now that I’m building my own small business through my website, blog, books, and speaking, I see this from both sides. I understand what it feels like to put your whole heart into something that matters. I know what it’s like to stay up late learning, creating, and hoping it works out.


For me, this business isn’t about money. It’s about helping people. It’s about connecting “overcomers” — those who’ve made it through hard times with those who are still struggling. It’s about creating a space where stories of hope and resilience can help others heal.


Like other small business owners, I see a need and I want to fill it. I want to do something that makes a difference. But I also know that no business, no matter how passionate, survives alone. It takes community. It takes people choosing to show up, support, and believe.


That’s what I hope people will do for me one day choose to help my small business grow, not because they have to, but because they see the purpose behind it. Because helping me means helping others.


The Self-Discovery of Supporting Others

Supporting local farmers and small businesses teaches you a lot about yourself. It makes you aware of what you value. You begin to see the beauty of quality over quantity, of community over convenience.


When you slow down enough to visit a farmer’s market, buy from a local shop, or eat at a family-owned restaurant, you reconnect with people. You see faces instead of logos. You hear stories instead of slogans. And in those exchanges, you rediscover your own humanity.


The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley found that people who engage in community-based activities report higher life satisfaction and lower loneliness. Helping others — even through small choices like where you shop strengthens your sense of purpose and belonging.

Buying local becomes more than a financial decision. It becomes a reflection of who you are and what kind of world you want to support.


What You Can Try Today

  1. Shop local first. Before buying online or at a chain store, check if a nearby shop or farmer’s market offers what you need.

  2. Visit a farm stand. Fresh food tastes better and supports the people who work hard to grow it.

  3. Recommend local businesses. Word of mouth is powerful. Share your favorites on social media or with friends.

  4. Volunteer your skills. If you have business or tech knowledge, offer to help a small business owner who might need guidance.

  5. Be patient. Small businesses may take longer or cost a little more, but what you get back in quality and community is worth it.


Supporting local does not require big changes. It is about small choices made often. And those choices can change entire communities.


Support on Your Journey

When you choose to buy local or support small businesses, you’re not just helping others — you’re building a connection that strengthens you too. You’re choosing integrity, authenticity, and heart over convenience.


In our Self-Discovery and Neighbor Chat groups, we often talk about finding purpose in our daily actions. Supporting local is one of the easiest ways to live out your values. It shows that caring for others and for your community starts right where you are.



The next post in this series, “Reducing Food Waste: How Smart Shopping and Simple Habits Help Your Wallet and the Planet,” will explore how mindful choices in the kitchen can help you live with gratitude and responsibility.


Because when you support others, you are also supporting the best parts of yourself.


References






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