4 Ways the Pandemic Changed the Way We Think About Food Production
We all remember how it felt when the world turned upside down at the beginning of 2020. COVID-19 was new to the scene, and everything seemed to change in the blink of an eye. Food on supermarket shelves was suddenly sparse, lockdowns kept us at home and the world seemed to go virtual overnight. While all of our lives transformed in March of 2020 – and in the years since – not all changes were negative. A big shift was felt across the board in the way we think about food production. Take a look at four positive changes the pandemic brought over the last few years.
1. More support for local farms
There may be a few of us who didn’t experience the bare shelves in the early days of 2020. But for most, the sudden lack of available groceries changed everything. You couldn’t rely on dropping by the supermarket for a gallon of milk or produce for the week. Many stores started restricting how many pounds of meat you could purchase, and others simply ran out and left people wondering what their alternatives would be.
As the uncertainties continued, the consequences of panic buying and supply chain disruptions resulted in a renewed interest in shopping local. Grocery stores might have been sold out of ground beef, but local ranches were still raising animals and selling cuts, boxes and meat subscriptions. Neighborhood farmers markets were flooded with new customers, all eager to fill their carts (whether in-person or online) with fresh produce, eggs and other specialty products that no longer made their way to grocery store shelves.
See more: 7 Benefits of Eating Local Foods
2. Renewed interest in self-sufficiency
What happens when you can’t find the food you need to feed your family? You might shift gears and begin eating something different. Or you might make an abrupt U-turn and head in the direction of self-sufficiency. The pandemic saw a rise in interest in self-sustaining practices. Many people began purchasing seeds, soil and other garden supplies in order to dive headfirst into growing their own food. The shift was actually so great that many seed companies struggled to meet demand, sold out and faced shortages of their own.
Others learned more about preservation techniques. Canning jars and lids became a hot commodity in the later seasons of shutdowns (uncomfortably similar to the great toilet paper fiasco that occurred early on) and freezers sold out faster than you ever would have imagined. Whether people took up canning, freezing, freeze drying or other techniques, preservation skills became increasingly popular.
3. Gardening as an escape
2020 proved difficult for everyone, and sometimes we all needed to take a step back and immerse ourselves in a new activity to process what was going on in the world. Gardening, to the surprise of many, became a common means of escape as people endured days on end of waiting and wondering when life would resume its normal pace.
Although gardening is a slow activity ( it takes a good, long time for those tomatoes to emerge and ripen on the vine) and the rest of life already felt like it was at a standstill, it became a therapeutic way to pass the time for new and seasoned gardeners alike.
See more: Tennessee Men and Women in Agriculture Demonstrate Resilience Amid Pandemic
4. Deeper connection with community
While many turned to gardening as a way to get their hands in the dirt and celebrate the beauty of producing their own food, others used it as a way to further connect with their communities. Victory gardens popped up all across the country. People planted an abundance of salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, potatoes and other food that they could not only use to feed their own families but to share with others. Food bank donations were no longer limited to canned food from the grocery store but suddenly burst with fresh produce. Farmers markets saw new records in attendance. Local producers were suddenly flooded with public interest.
Consumers’ eyes were opened to the reality that the vast majority of food doesn’t come from the grocery store but from the blood, sweat and tears of countless hardworking men and women all around the country. People even discovered just how many local food options were available within a short driving distance of their own homes.
Looking Forward
In some ways, things are returning to the way they were. In others, not so much. Grocery store shelves are more frequently stocked, but rising prices due to inflation and supply chain shortages continue to leave people wondering if life will ever look the way it did pre-2020. We can’t predict the future, but we can hope that a few of the more positive changes are here to stay – especially the renewed interest in gardening and greater support for local food economies.