Locavore 1.0 iPhone Application
Farm Fresh Produce For Your iPhone
Locavores are committed to eating seasonal, locally grown foodstuff and as much as possible. This concept has become so important and so mainstream that Locavore was the Oxford English Dictionary's 2007 Word of the Year.
As Jennifer Maiser, editor of the Eat Local Challenge website, said, "The great thing about eating local is that it's not an all-or-nothing venture. Any small step you take helps the environment, protects your family's health and supports small farmers in your area."
Becoming a Locavore just got easier. Enter Locavore 1.0, an Apple iPhone/iTouch application.
Features of Locavore 1.0 iPhone App
Using GPS and location awareness technology, Locavore 1.0 allows users to find real-time, seasonal, local, sustainable produce no matter where they are in the United States.
- In Season - displays the fruits and vegetables that are currently in season. Next to each fruit or vegetable is an icon that tells you how long the product will be in season near you. Tapping on the fruit or vegetable takes you to a map of the United States that is color keyed to show just how much longer it will be in season in that area.
- Markets - points you to where is the nearest farmers' markets to you via information from LocalHarvest.org.
- Food – shows what food is currently in season and what food is coming in season near you, via information from the Natural Resources Defense Council. For each of the 234 familiar and exotic fruits and vegetables, you can view information and a full-color images of the item on Wikipedia or find recipes on Epicurious.
- States - browse all 50 states to see what's in season in other parts of the US or browse each item to see where it is currently growing.
- About - shows news and updates from the Locavore Twitter account and allows you ask questions and submit bugs.
At a $2.99 price tag from the iTunes App store, all this power is expensive for an iPhone application, but worth it. Everything is also available on the internet but it's extremely convenient to have it in the palm of your hand.
Not everything is accurate as the agricultural world of is ruled by micro climates and the fickle whims of Mother Nature. Locavore needs to expand their product list to encompass more items. Additionally, a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) feature showing the CSA's in your local area and a "meat" feature showing sustainable, local ranches in your area would also be helpful.
Developer Buster McLeod is working on making Locavore interactive with a social media feature for Facebook that will allow users to report their own report experiences at local markets. He is also exploring the possibility of making the data more open so that others can build on top of what is already there.
With time, this application will only get better.
Locavore 1.0
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