The Toulmin Method: The Locavore Myth By Mc Williams

The Toulmin method is a method of reasoning that includes a claim, ground, and a warrant. This method of analysis breaks down the paper into parts in a way that makes the argument more effective overall. The passage, “The Locavore Myth,” goes over the disadvantages of people whose diet consists only of locally produced food. The author goes over several statistics and studies that show the harmful effects of buying from nearby farmers. According to the Toulmin method, this argument is very effective. The Toulmin method contains a claim, evidence, and qualifier. The claim is the author’s assertion, the evidence supports the claim, and the qualifier states the author’s assurance towards their claim. McWilliams claims that people who look to nearby farmers for their diet because of transportation “Overlook other energy-hogging factors in food production” (McWilliams, 2009, para. 1). The author believes that buying local produce can hurt the planet more than it can help it. To validate this statement, the author provides studies that show the real cost of shrinking the distance that food travels. For example, McWilliams provides the reader with a 2006 academic study that shows that “It made more environmental sense for a Londoner to buy lamb shipped from New
The author incorporated great examples that support his argument well. The warrant and backing are correctly placed as there is a great transition from claim to evidence, followed by the usage of a credible source to validate the original claim. The author provides great counterarguments of people who think they are benefiting the environment by purchasing from local farmers and effective rebuttals that further promote the effectiveness of his claim. The author could have made his argument better by adding more real statistics to convince the reader. Yet, overall, McWilliams does a great job utilizing the Toulmin method to make his