DownloadJune 22, 2009 issue
Supporting farmers
Mennonites are becoming increasingly urban, and many blessings accompany that shift. One downside is the decreased connection to the richness of the farming lifestyle and the source of our food.
Fortunately, through partnerships with farmers, town- and city-dwellers who can’t grow all of their own food can regain that relationship, as a growing number of us are doing.
For centuries, farmers have made up the backbone of many Mennonite churches and organizations, giving generously in their good years. We who work in other fields ought to take advantage of opportunities to give back.
Community supported agriculture programs, known as CSAs, are one way households can share risks with small farmers — and let them set prices they see as fair — by paying a lump sum for produce at the beginning of the growing season.
Customers and farmers learn to depend on each other, which, especially when done among Anabaptists, can build community. For example, Plow Creek Farm in Tiskilwa, Ill., connected to Plow Creek Mennonite Church, provides CSA shares to members of three Mennonite churches and one Church of the Brethren congregation in the Chicago area.
Farmers markets are another way to build relationships with farmers. Customers can build trust with farmers by going to farms to volunteer or pick their own produce.
For many large-scale farmers, industrial agriculture is not a preference. Many recognize it can degrade land and water systems when it requires large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They know market prices for crops can be volatile.
Yet it’s difficult to support a family on the income from a small farm. Through the help of consumers willing to share risks and rewards, more farmers may be able to make a living with fewer acres and more sustainable practices.
In CSAs and at farmers markets, farmers often charge more than a customer would pay at a large grocery-store chain. But by paying the extra cost, consumers are supporting a ministry that enriches and sustains us all.
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