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For centuries, food was traditionally grown and eaten locally, with town squares filled to overflowing with farmer's produce to lure neighborhood buyers on market day.

Globalization, of course, has changed all that.

Because fruits and vegetables can be grown using chemicals and genetic alterations to keep it fresh, foods can be shipped to markets thousands of miles away.

Today it is not uncommon to eat a meal with ingredients from three or four different continents. Critics argue that this type of global market is usually quite harmful to the economies of the people doing the growing, however, and becomes a major cause of rampant and unnecessary pollution as food is shipped halfway around the world.

Additionally, many health conscious people resent the addition of chemicals and genetic alterations to their food.

As a result, a growing number of people have begun to get their food more locally, usually at community green markets or farmers' markets located in large cities or suburban areas now cropping up worldwide.

The benefits of buying local

The 100 mile diet, food miles, and low carbon diets all refer to the same basic concept, which is that the food we eat should be grown or produced as close to home as possible.

Not only does the food grown closer to home require little or no additives, it also saves on fuel energy and resulting air pollution that result from long distance delivery.

Sometimes it is more beneficial to get food shipped from far away. For example, growing tomatoes in Spain and shipping them to the UK is considered more environmentally friendly, since greenhouses and artificial light sources are needed to grow tomatoes in Britain, requiring electricity not needed in sun-drenched Spain.

Generally though, a short distance between where food is grown and eaten provides benefits to the environment and a fresher, more nutritious product. It also helps local farmers who can now bring their goods to increasingly popular green markets, providing smart urban shoppers food that is natural, healthy, and often cheaper when grown on local farms.

Farmers markets in major US cities:

More information about green markets around the Web:

Eat Well Guide - Database of local farmers' markets, farm shops, community gardens, food co-ops, restaurants, bakers and related online stores offering fresh or organic foods in the US and Canada searchable by keyword, state or province.

Eat Local Challenge - Group blog by eating local proponents, with current news and feature reporting.

Local Harvest.org - Comprehensive US directory of farmers markets, food cooperatives, and online sources of organic foods nationwide including related blogs, free newsletter.

Canada Farmers' Markets - Good link listing of major markets across the country.

FARMA - UK portal to farmers markets, farm shops and pick-your-own farms in England, Scotland and Wales with information on annual food festivals, and related resources.

also see -> Eco-friendly Gift Ideas | Green Cities

Pick Your Own Farms | Vegetable Gardening