"Buying food without intermediaries is the most powerful thing that anyone can do to improve conditions for farmers and create a positive impact".
Why did we create CrowdFarming? Well, there are two answers, depending on how much time youve got.
The short answer: So that you can receive organic products straight from farmers at a competitive price.
The more elaborate answer
In Europe there are 10 million farmers and 450 million consumers, yet just 10 supermarkets in between that decide what we eat, where we get our food from, and the price that farmers receive for their crops. What inefficiencies does this model generate?
Unfair prices and massive food waste. A consequence of a business model based on attracting consumers with low prices and confusing quality with the appearance of the fresh product.
Inefficient, highly subsidised agriculture dependent on chemical pesticides. Farmers have no decision-making power in the food supply chain: theyre at the mercy of both their suppliers (the major agrochemical companies) and their buyers (the supermarkets). The European Union allocates almost €1 out of €4 of its budget to subsidising agriculture, but this isnt resulting in an actual improvement in the conditions of farmers.
Uninformed consumers disconnected from farming. Most of the European populace is nutritionally poor. Were living in a society where people spend more on technology than on their diet. We spend more on a phone than on healthy food. Weve become used to paying low prices at supermarkets, but are we aware of what were really paying for our food?
How does the direct sale of food solve these issues?
Direct selling means that farmers get better prices for the produce shipped out. With better margins, farmers can invest in long-term agronomic practices to improve the health of their soils and, therefore, get more nutrition in the food they produce.
