What's more important, eating locally or organically?

Question

If you have to choose one or the other.

Answer 1

Personally, I think locally.

Answer 2

I like organic better. I feel much healthier eating organic and I don't have to worry about pesticides.  

Answer 3

It depends on your motivation.

Locally if you are concerned about the energy needed to get food from farm to plate.

Locally if you are concerned about the preservation of small, indy farmers in your area.

Organically if you are concerned about consuming pesticides or the effect of pesticides on nature.

You can do both very easily if you live in an area rich in farmland.  Not so easily if you don't.

Answer 4

I personally think locally grown is more important.  Organic produce uses very nearly as much petroleum to produce (and exactly as much to ship) as traditionally grown.  Giant scale factory farms are still factory farms, after all.  

Locally grown food is often fresher, and since it's being sold locally is not as likely to be bred for shelf stability over flavor and quality.  The impact on the environment is smaller because it isn't being shipped large distances after being grown in giant factory conditions that are not natural growth patterns.