Photo Credit:
Divinehealthandwellness.wordpress.com
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Recently, I read a blog from Smithsonian.com about a new
online farmers’ market called Farmigo.
The founder, Benzi Ronen is a technology wiz who has spent 20 years in
the field of technology. Now he is
taking an interest in how fresh food is distributed and increasing the
selection of fresh food with every weekly box of locally grown produce.
Farmigo is not a food co-op a collectively owned grocery
store. With an open food co-op, only
members can get discounted prices while anyone can shop at the store. A private co-op requires membership and only
members can shop at the store. Co-ops
can carry locally grown quality fresh food and/or top quality grocery
items. Farmigo goes beyond co-ops and
food clubs.
Until Farmigo was started, distributors and retailers gave
the farmer 20 to 30 percent of what the consumers spend. Farmigo allows the farmer to obtain 60
percent of what the consumers spend. How?
Consumers get directly connected to the farmers. Farmigo has a database of 400 farms using
their software. Consumers get choose
each week from a number of different items in the online market. They know the origin of each item. This also gives them information on the farm
and a listing of other items from that farm.
When they place their order, it goes directly to the farmer. The consumer decides on a pickup location in
their neighborhood. The pickup location
relies on neighborhood volunteers. These
volunteers are keeping a savings along to the consumer. The consumers receive about 10 percent
savings through this type of distribution system.
Farmigo has school sites for pickup locations. In fact, Farmigo gives the schools a 10
percent share of the sales as a fundraiser for the school towards their
nutrition program or their school garden.
What great ingenuity of using technology in a positive way and
connecting people to work together for the betterment of their lives. Without your health, living becomes a
challenge. After all, isn’t food life’s
real medicine?
Where did Ronen get this type of food system model? Believe it or not, political organizations
get to volunteers at the local level by choosing volunteers who know their
neighborhood well. Then it starts with
real person-to-person connections. People
are getting to know their neighbors where they previously did not.
Where will my imagination take me to next? Better yet, how will your imagination lead us
into the future? I am challenging anyone
working in the green industry, home horticulture and/or consumers to share what
you envision for the future of horticulture or some specific area of
horticulture such as raising fresh food.
Since there is no deadline on sharing your vision, we welcome your
comments anytime. At some point in the future, I can follow
through with another blog on your visions.
We look forward to reading your comments.
Cool concept -- no sites as yet for Colorado!
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