You, me and the farmer

Agricultural crisis is not limited just to India. Farmers are getting driven out of their farms everywhere. In 1935 there were 6.8 million working farmers in the US; today the number is under 1.9 million. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among US farmers, occurring at a rate three times higher than in the general population. The crisis can be largely mitigated if we bought our food from the local farmer’s markets/grocers/co-ops instead of our friendly neighborhood supermarket.

The lure of the supermarkets is mainly due to the inexpensive prices. We fail to realize that the high cost of this low price is paid by the farmer who sells the food to the big corporations. Supermarkets offer the throw-away prices to customers by slashing the rates they buy the food from the farmers. Studies have revealed that the farmer just stands to make 3.5% of the price you paid for the food. While the price of producing the food for the farmer has gone up, the price at which the food is brought from the farmer has either been the same or has actually dropped. Coming back to the question of cost to us, if you want to avoid farmer’s suicides, it is the cost you need to pay and everyone needs to think of it as a permanent and continual way of addressing the distress.

You can start looking for the freshest food closest to your home by visiting http://foodroutes.org/localfood/. The next time you buy your food remember - Support the farmer, buy local produce and do not forget to take your own bags.

References

1. http://www.countercurrents.org/glo-ainger120503.htm

Powered by ScribeFire.