As far as self-employed farming entrepreneurs go, Gary Wise is “as independent as you can get.”

Wise received a teaching degree from N.C. State University in 1993 but couldn’t stay away from his life-long passion for farming, so it wasn’t long before he started a produce business on 100 acres in Wayne County. Since then, his business has grown at local markets such as the Raleigh State Farmer’s Market and, most recently, the University Farmer’s Market, which is held in the Brickyard every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“The interest for locally grown food is there, but the obstacle we face now is that a lot of people are not as secure in their jobs,” Wise said. “Local produce is generally a bit higher in cost than what you can find at the grocery store.”

Even though food sold in grocery stores is often shipped across the country, it can be less expensive because of the bulk in which it is grown, according to Mitch Renkow, professor of agricultural economics.

“Even though there are transportation costs, food grown in bulk, such as grapes in California, is cheaper than the amount of food grown on local farms,” Renkow said. “Most local farms are small-scale, and the farmers still have to pay to transport food, even if it is a shorter distance.”

Renkow said people who shop at farmer’s markets are in general paying a little more for food they perceive to be of higher quality.

“People are becoming more interested in the way food is grown, and some enjoy meeting the people who grow their food,” Renkow said.

According to Ed Estes, professor of agricultural economics, the decision for a customer to shop at a local farmer’s market is a lifestyle choice.

“It’s more than just paying and buying,” Estes said. “There are reasons why people want to support sustainable and local agriculture that go beyond money.”

People shop at farmer’s markets for the same reasons they might buy a hybrid car, according to Estes. It involves a commitment to a larger goal of sustainability. Estes said there is a limit on how many people can afford to shop locally and buy organic food as long as the food is more expensive than food from the grocery store.

“Someone who makes $30,000 a year might not be able to buy all food at markets,” Estes said. “It’s still a free market, so if someone in California offers something you can’t get locally, or at a cheaper price, people have the right to shop for that food.”

Some people buy on price and some people buy on quality, according to Estes. He believes there is room for both.

Linda Maggio, owner of S&L farms and a vendor at the University farmer’s market, said farming has been a full-time job for her for four years.

“Of course everyone wants to make money, but I also want to feel good about what I’m doing,” Maggio said. “With my job, I feel like I am making the future better.”

According to Maggio, buying local and organic food does not have to be a luxury reserved for the wealthy.

“Even in bad economic times, I know people who are giving up other things in order to eat this way because it is important to them,” Maggio said.

Wise said healthier food is more expensive than unhealthy food in general.

“In a tight economy, people can get a hamburger and French fries for less than what you pay for healthy food, even at a supermarket,” Wise said.

According to Wise, buying local food is an old tradition that shouldn’t be given up because of modern-day technology and transportation.

“Some food is just better tasting straight from a garden, in season,” Wise said, “and if you go back 75 years ago everyone had their own garden or had livestock; it was just the way people ate.”

Renkow sees the local-food movement as less of a return to tradition and more of a fight against the course of human history.

“We’ve been through 10,000 years of history during which people have increasingly become more and more specialized,” Renkow said. “There is less of a connect between people and the places they live.”

Ultimately, farmers are businessmen, Renkow said, and it is important for local farmers to know that the deck is stacked against them, although that doesn’t mean they can’t turn the tide.

Estes said it is important to recognize that organic and local do not mean the same thing, and they are both nebulous terms that can mean different things to different people.

“Harris Teeter says they buy locally, but by locally they mean within the Southeast,” Estes said. “So Georgia, an eight-hour drive, can be local.”

According to Maggio, large companies try to pass off their food as locally grown even when it is not, such as Lay’s company.

“Lay’s says their food is locally produced, but what does that really mean?” Linda said. “I make my own products… people want to know where their food is coming from.”

Some students are getting involved with sustainable agriculture initiatives, such as Kathleen Herbert, a senior in extension education. Last Wednesday, Herbert manned a booth for the Wake County Cooperative Extension office as a part of a state-wide survey on local food markets.

“We are trying to find out who is coming to markets, what vendors are selling, what the business structure is and how cooperative extension can help,” Herbert said.

Herbert said she had found that every market was different and it was hard to make generalizations so far.

“To me, sustainable agriculture is important because I am passionate about local food systems and the effect they have on local economies,” Herbert said.

Wise said he produces local food but does not grow organically.

“It’s really hard to grow food organically in North Carolina, other than native crops, because of the climate and humidity,” Wise said. “It’s impossible to have a consistent supply. But our food is grown here, not shipped across the country.”

Organic food does not have to be local, but has to be safe and free of pesticides and is usually of high quality, Estes said.

“It’s hard to tell where organic and local food will end up right now,” Renkow said. “The fact that farmers are taking the time to sell at markets implies that it is profitable. One definite trend we see is that people are becoming more purposeful as sellers and buyers of food.”