Farmers and Neighbors

Giving everyone the tools to build a fair food system

Farmers and Neighbors is a network of local farmers to local food processors, who offer their products to the local market, through an online platform for the direct sale of local, seasonal products.

Did you know that a kilogram of pineapples from Ghana creates about 5 kilograms of CO2 emissions? Or that a can of tomato soup with meatballs travels about 60,000 kilometers before it ends up in your bowl? And that while just as delicious and fresh products can be found close to home.

That is why you should get to know Farmers and Neighbors: an online platform where (neighbourhood) farms can sell their products at a fair price and consumers can find local, fresh products close to home.

Farmers and Neighbors is an online platform that offers (neighborhood) farms the opportunity to sell their products at a fair price, while consumers can find local, fresh and seasonal products close to home. In this way, all parties contribute to a sustainable food chain and encourage local food production.

Food products are often transported from all over the world, travelling thousands of kilometers in the process. This involves high environmental costs and many CO2 emissions, while at least as fresh and tasty products can be found close to home. For example, the products delivered by Boeren en Buren only travel 28 kilometers on average and the consumer only pays the price that the farmer asks.

Farmers and Neighbors is based on six principles:

  1. The farmers determine their own price. (focus on labour rights)
  2. Transparency is the guarantee of quality products. (focus on transparency)
  3. Logistics must be rethought to reconcile distance and sustainability. (focus on sustainability)
  4. The transition to a sustainable agriculture is something we are committed to doing together. (focus on sustainability)
  5. There must be a fair distribution of added value between the various actors. (focus on customers)
  6. Good food, you can learn that! (focus on local community)

How exactly does the platform work? Customers search for businesses in their neighborhood that offer, for example, vegetables, fruits, pastries, cheese, milk, yoghurt or local beer. Then they place their order and pick it up directly from the producer at an agreed time, usually at a central (market) location. Some neighboring farms even deliver them to their homes. In this way, producers know which products to prepare and can avoid waste. Ultimately, 80% of the yield goes to the farmer himself.

A total of 67 neighboring farms and 835 producers are active in Flanders. Together they reduce emissions, contribute to the short chain and avoid food waste.

Source: http://sustainablefootprint.org/nl/how-many-kilometers-does-your-plate-contain/