Calling all locavores!

The Incredible Picnic goes this weekend around the province and will be well represented in Windsor at Victoria Park and the Cocoa Pesto Bistro from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Last year about 500 people turned out locally and event host Scott Geddes says he expects at least that number, if not more, this year. We hope he’s right.

The Incredible Picnic is a Select Nova Scotia initiative that keys on ‘Buy Local. Eat Fresh.’ It’s a theme that has grown legs recently due to the impact of the economic recession and the incursion of produce from away that erodes many local producers’ bottom line.

We need to take care of our own in every way possible to ensure sustainability and food security. The Incredible Picnic is a good place to exercise that option and keep our money where our mouths are.

The Picnic promotes community, too. It fosters a strong sense of sharing, neighbourhood and togetherness that spans the province while keying on 11 different locations to obtain comprehensive coverage.

It brings people together in a meet-and-greet, taste-and-treat atmosphere that serves not only as a showcase for what’s grown here, but puts producers and consumers together in a relaxed, collegial setting. Nothing promotes a product better than a face-to-face between the person responsible for it and those who buy it.

It’s no secret farmers and the agriculture industry are vital to the local economy. They underpin and quite often underwrite the economic stability of our region and their success becomes our success.

Conversely, if we don’t subscribe to ‘buy local’ and lend as much support as possible, our region and the province likely will share in any fiscal fallout.

It’s time to adjust our thinking and recognize the beneficial social and economic consequences of buying local. We need to become locavores.

Haven’t heard about this? Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘locavore’ as “one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible.”

That’s every one of us: vegan, carnivore, locavore. And it’s so simple. All it takes is a deliberate choice to buy local.

Even more encouraging, we have the power to make it happen. The Incredible Picnic this weekend is a good place to start and we encourage as many people as possible to get out on Sunday, have some fun and support this event.

And who knows? It could be the first day of the rest of your life as a full-fledged, card-carrying locavore. What could be better than that?