If Food Be Thy Medicine, Farmers Be Thy Doctors
Healthy eating begets healthy living. This intuitive adage, omnipresent in modern lifestyle trends, was perhaps best formalized by Abraham Maslow in 1943. In his theorization of developmental psychology, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs posits that physiological needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) are the foundation of human development. Only when these needs are fulfilled can more complex motivations of relationships, esteem, and transcendence be achieved. At Farther Farms, we consider a similar hierarchical structure as we deconstruct our mission. To actualize a sustainable food system, our first building block must be responsible sourcing — a simple idea requiring an exacting eye.
Vipul Saran, Co-founder and CTO of Farther Farms, is a third generation potato farmer from northern India. He is motivated by a deep respect for agronomists and an understanding of their hardships, ingenuity, and persistence. Vipul’s research in the US began as an effort to solve problems of food waste injurious to farmers in developing countries. Bypassing the need for cold storage, he reasoned, would free them from the tightrope of financial solvency. Over the last two years, his motivations have come to define Farther Farms’ mission.
We view responsible sourcing as a two-way street. First, as a food manufacturer, our quality end-products must begin with quality raw ingredients. By processing without use of artificial preservatives or thermal treatment, our products uniquely showcase natural produce. This requires partnering with growers practicing similar values of sustainability, nutrition, and consistency. Chef and restauranteur Dan Barber’s ethos of breeding for flavor serves as a great inspiration, reminding us that the food system cannot be compartmentalized. To maximize the quality of end-products, one must internalize the interdependence and expertise of plant breeders, growers, and manufacturers.
Second, responsible sourcing also means emboldening farmers. Our unique processing technology allows us to engage with growers in new ways, creating secondary revenue streams, value-added opportunities, and, potentially, markets for new vegetable varieties. In our eyes, it is essential that we create value for growers. Their participation in the upside of Farther Farms is not only ethical, but essential to the cause of ecumenical food system improvement.
As a processor, we view ourselves as a conduit, uniting farmers and consumers. Farther Farms’ products are tangible connections between growers and their communities. These products celebrate an integrated food system in which farmers rely upon local markets and favorable policies promoting arable farmland. Communities, in turn, rely upon farmers to provide nourishing sustenance. Farther Farms will continue to work to strengthen this interdependent relationship.
Goal 12 of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for global sustainability reads: “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” A 2018 study by the National Academy of Sciences elaborates, “For supply-chain interventions to effectively drive social and environmental change at a global scale, private-sector actors need to more widely adopt [sustainable-sourcing practices] that are stringent, verifiable, address a broad set of sustainability issues, and reach all tiers of global supply chains.” Farther Farms’ promotion of an improved, integrated, sustainable food system begins with an effort to identify and support responsible producers of quality foods. A focus on sustainable practices promises resilience in a rapidly transforming food supply chain. Our intent is to deliver responsibly sourced products that conscious customers will feel good about buying, confident that their purchases will support farmers and efficient, sustainable food production practices.
Read more at fartherfarms.com
