Strawberry farmers in Plant City Florida are faced with a tough and unusual decision this year. The colder winter has resulted in a bumper berry crop that is ready to go to market all at once. Typically the berries are ready for harvest at varying times starting as early as January through April. An abundance of strawberries has driven the market price so low that it is not economically viable for the farmers to harvest and transport them to market.
The humanitarian openly calls out the farmer to donate the food to the hungry. Feed the people!
Who will pay for the loans on farming equipment, seed, fertilizer, harvesting costs or the law suit of a local resident allowed on the farm to "you pick"? The farmer is still required to meet the financial obligations of running a business weather it is profitable or suffers a loss. It is easy to see how it could be less frustrating and more economical to let the fruit rot on the vine.
There must be a better option than the farmer suffering a complete monetary loss and allowing the fruit to rot in the field. It is known that farm subsidies are inefficient and do not offer a reasonable solution. People who are destitute and hungry need quality nutritious food and strawberries easily meet that qualifier if only temporary. What are the people who are suffering from "food insecurity" willing to spend? Assuming these people are unable to pay the farmer money, would it be worth it to donate their time to pick the produce this season as payment to the farmer? Of course, this would only include people, churches, organizations and food banks who are within a reasonable distance with capabilities of traveling to the farms.
Is it feeding the farmer's greed to expect to profit enough in order to farm another season? Is feeding the hungry the farmer's responsibility? Are the hungry willing to help feed themselves?
Perhaps the true glitch in the system is farmers are paid at "market value" by supermarkets and distributors but the cost savings of a bumper crop are not passed down to the average consumer.
Food for thought...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Nice writings! I was looking for a Contact email?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Brian