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What’s more tasty than fresh produce straight from the field to your plate? Now, a nonprofit organization in the UK is linking people directly with farmers and growers across the country.
A group of social activists and farmers formed a database, Farms to Feed Us, to help bring produce directly from farms to people’s homes after the coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020 and restaurants were closed. Community supported agriculture was being overwhelmed with orders but farmers who had lost their regular markets were struggling to find ways to sell their products according to the organization.
Cathy St Germans, a writer and organizer of regenerative agricultural initiatives told Positive News that the group put out a call for help, a google sheet, and the result was the founding of the database.
“I wanted to show that great small-scale farms and farmers are still out there, providing amazing food,” she said. “And the quality of their soil and the compassion they show to their livestock really does make a difference to the quality of the food.”
The idea is really simple. Farms to Feed Us consists of an open database of small farms and growers throughout the UK and sells meat, dairy, vegetables, fruits and other types of products. Instead of relying on a third party, the produce can be sold directly to the customer. The database opened on April 4, 2020 with 70 farmers, now there are already 300 producers on the database and each week, additional farmers are included.
To order, customers can visit the database through the Farms to Feed Us website. They can then check the farms in their locality, see what they are currently offering, and order online straight from the farm. That’s as local as you can get.
The organization said that the pandemic highlighted some of the preexisting issues that were not right with the food system. They hope that this could be a turning point and that the database will still be used after the pandemic ends.
Farm to Table projects like the database support local economies since people can buy directly from farmers in the area. With money going straight to the producer, there aren’t any extra fees and there are no middlemen. Buying local food also benefits the environment because it doesn’t need to be transported across the state or country.
So, next time you need to run out for groceries, consider supporting farmers in your area. Buying local seasonal produce is healthier, more environmentally-friendly and most importantly, delicious. Nothing beats the taste of just picked produce!
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