This week on The Farm Report, Philip Ackerman-Leist phones in to talk to us about local versus large scale food systems, and its impact on agriculture today. What are the main benefits to growing and buying local foods? To answer this question, Philip Ackerman-Leist references his latest book, Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems. Laying out the principles of how to redesign foodsheds for greater food security, justice, and energy efficiency, he also references the importance of education to redefine our growing sustainable practices. Mr. Ackermans personal statement, as the Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Green Mountain College in Vermont, is simple: I teach here because I keep learning here, and I farm at home because I keep learning there. This program has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures. We are going to be most successful doing what we do on the local or the regional level. [20:05] If youre really focused on local, we have to have a sustainable ecosystem. [30:10] -- Philip Ackerman-Leist on The Farm Report