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"About 97% of consumers used online media to shop local in 2010, according to a study by BIA/Kelsey and ConStat. Now, that wasn't all food shopping of course, but the statistics show that giving money to local businesses is more of a priority than ever.\nShopping local for food not only makes a huge impact on the local economy, but also reduces human impact on earth's delicate ecosystem. At the very least, it's healthy! And we can all use more of that.\nWant to streamline your local grocery shopping? Below you'll find five convenient sites to help you search, shop and learn from the local food movement.\n\n\n5 Sites To Shop Local Online\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Farmigo\n\n\nType in your zip code and Farmigo will search for locally grown food in your area, including farmers markets, CSA options and nearby farms themselves.\nFarmigo organizes information neatly, and allows you to narrow by food category. The site will also let you know whether there's currently a waitlist for CSA service or whether a farm is open or closed. Also, switch to map view for convenient pickup locations.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Local Dirt\n\n\nNot just a site for buyers to search local food options, Local Dirt provides a convenient platform for local sellers as well. For instance, create a profile page to promote your farmers market. Individual vendors' profile pages and products appear on your market page. Direct customers to your page, where they can pre-order items for pick-up later.\nLocal Dirt also welcomes co-ops, farms and local distributors to create profiles too. When the customer searches within a certain mileage of her zip code, your business will appear!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Eat Well Guide\n\n\nOnce you input a U.S. or Canadian location, Eat Well allows you to select types of business and their specialties. For example, narrow your search to bakers, community gardens, food trucks and even personal chefs!\nNote that Eat Well narrows not only to local food, but may include healthy eating or organic establishments in general. But we love that they include restaurants, so it's worth the sifting in our book.\nPlanning a road trip? Eat Well encourages you to eat sustainable along the way with its travel planner.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Foodzie\n\n\nWe admit, Foodzie's photographs immediately distracted us from performing a search for local food. We clicked through to find that Foodzie has its own version of gourmet CSA -- The Tasting Box. For $29.95 per month, you receive a box of six tasty samples. Love the pumpkin spice caramels? Get a sweet deal with the item seller!\nOverall, Foodzie is a great resource for gourmet gift giving and sustainable shopping advice. But also, perform a local search for these sweets and cheeses....mmmmm!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Local Harvest\n\n\nLocal Harvest provides one of the most comprehensive directories for local, sustainable food sources. The organization encourages communities around the U.S. to establish relationships with mom and pop farms, not only to strengthen local business but also to ween themselves off the American processed foods diet.\nLocal Harvest's search results are so rich that the site allows you to narrow your search very specifically. Looking for a co-op in your neighborhood that sells dried fruit and nuts? Local Harvest will likely know of it.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage courtesy of Flickr, adrian valenzuela"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/11/20/shop-local-food/>