Originally published in the Monadnock Shopper News (MBL Media Sponsor)

August is New Hampshire Eat Local Month – the perfect time to shine a light on local food, farms and our entire Monadnock Region local food system.

First let’s take a quick step back and define what a local food system.  Think of it as all the pieces needed to bring local food from the farm to your plate: the soil, farm labor, transportation to distribute these goods to markets, and the list continues.  These pieces come together to form our local food system.

How does a healthy local food system bolster our local economy?  While there aren’t yet comprehensive studies for the Monadnock Region, there are impressive findings from other states that quantify farms’ effects on local economies.

In 2011, the Capital City Public Market in Boise, Idaho spurred $4.5 million in economic activity in their local economy. Sales…