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W
hile preparing for a meeting with the Crossroads Resource Center regarding the local food system here in Arizona and more specifically Maricopa County I stumbled across some numbers that have my head reeling. Not sure where to even start! So, I am going to try something new and just shut up, let you digest these numbers and then maybe in a few days, weeks, months when I can wrap my head around it I may be able to comment, but at this point all I got is "WOW, this thing is far more broken than I thought!"
*2006 Coconino County Farm and Food economy summary: Farmers lose $10 million each year producing food commodities, and spend $6 million buying outside inputs, while consumers spend $215 million buying food from outside. This is a total loss to the region of $231 million of potential wealth each year. This loss amounts to 14 times the value of all food commodities raised in the region.
*2006 Navajo County Farm and Food economy summary: Farmers lose $6 million each year producing food commodities, and spend $14 million buying outside inputs, while consumers spend $160 million buying food from outside. This is a total loss to the region of $180 million of potential wealth each year. This loss amounts to nearly 7 times the value of all food commodities raised in the region.
*2006 Yavapai County Farm and Food economy summary: Farmers lose $8 million each year producing food commodities, and spend $18 million buying outside inputs, while consumers spend $260 million buying food from outside. This is a total loss to the region of $286 million of potential wealth each year. This loss amounts to more than 7 times the value of all food commodities raised in the region.
*2011 Southern Arizona Farm and Food economy summary: Farmers lose $20 million each year producing food products, while spending $200 million buying inputs sourced outside of the region. From the standpoint of the region as a whole, these external input purchases take money away from the local economy. This is a total loss of $220 million to the region. Meanwhile, consumers spend $3 billion buying food from outside. Thus, total loss to the region is $3.2 billion of potential wealth each year. This loss amounts to ten times the value of all food products raised in the region.
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