It is, according to futurist Faith Popcorn, who predicts 2010 is the year of LO-CO, meaning local cocooning.  What is local cocooning?

A term that Popcorn coined in the 90’s, cocooning is the need to find a safe space to protect oneself from the harsh, unpredictable realities of the outside world, leading to more people working, shopping and socializing from home.  According to Popcorn’s firm BrainReserve, local cocooning is an outgrowth of the dominant trend of icon toppling, a socioquake transforming mainstream America and the world, as the pillars of society are questioned and rejected. 

Brainreserve predicts that consumer skepticism will drive an “anti-big” movement.  People will reach for their roots (anchoring) and belong to groups that represent common feelings, causes or ideals, validating one’s own belief system (clanning).  Anchoring and clanning will provide our new touchstones for trust and our safer havens are local. Thus, the year of LO-CO emerges. 

One of the top trends in the year of LO-CO is that farmers’ markets and the community-supported agriculture movement (CSA) will continue to grow.  Americans are paying attention to where their food comes from. And locally grown food continues to grow in popularity.  Even the White House has a garden (again)! 

Remember, eating fresh locally grown foods helps save money and energy, supports local growers, and is great for your health.  And how can you ever get bored with eating if you’re choosing fresh foods in season? To find farmers’ markets in your area, visit http://www.localharvest.org/  or http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/.

So, how about you?  Do you care about where your food is grown?  Do you shop at your local farmers’ market?  Do you plant a backyard garden or are you planning to this year?  Now is a great time to start planning for your spring garden.