It's the Economy, [Friends]!

When Former President Bill Clinton was running his campaign, his strategist famously explained that the best tactic for winning the presidency was through a platform that focused on how he would bolster the economy. He said, and I quote, "It's the economy, stupid."

As most of my generation and those prior know, Clinton ended up winning that election and went on to win another four years later, so clearly there was something to this idea. In fact, the phrase became so prolific it spawned spoofs, books of the same title, and remains today a pop culture reference to the primacy of economics in the every day lives of the middle class. Though from my privileged position I'd like to think that money probably shouldn't be the central motivating factor in anything, it's hard to deny that economic arguments can be pretty darned convincing.

And so, today I share with you information from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that demonstrates yet another reason why growing your own food just makes sense: not only is it an act of environmental stewardship, of localization, and of true gourmandise, it is also an act of frugality and economic sensibility.

Below is a graph which shows the food price index for the world's food from the FAO. I'm no statistician, but essentially what this graph shows is that the price of food is rising and looks like it will continue to rise in the coming months, years, etc. Even with inflation, it's pretty evident that food is becoming proportionally more expensive, meaning individuals and families have to commit a higher percentage of their income to eating now than they did 15 years ago.

From the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

In more concrete terms, the last time I was at a grocery store in Ann Arbor during the summer when eggplant was in season, the vegetable cost $1.99 a pound. Granted this may be a high price in some areas, in Ann Arbor it's fairly standard and, even if the price is reduced to $0.99, a pound, you can buy 4 eggplant seedlings at the Farmers' Market for around $3. With a little bit of effort and a patch of dirt to put them in, one plant can produce 5-8 pounds of eggplant meaning with 4 plants, you're getting at least 20 pounds of the fruits. Imagining you find eggplant for $1 a pound at the grocery store, conservatively your return on investment is approximately $15, and this return becomes even larger when you start you own seeds (buying a packet of 50 or so for $3).

That, my friends, is the economic sensibility of growing your own food that's hard to argue with. Of course, small-scale home gardening can't replace all food needs, but with vegetable produce from your own backyard, the less you need to rely on the grocery store. So even if you supplement your shopping list with a just couple of container tomato plants and a pepper plant or two, you're on your way to controlling your food cost in a time when food prices are on the rise.

And, in case you're still not convinced, check out how the numeric index has changed over the past 10 years in the table below. Until next time, shop smart!

From the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations