Perspective: Valuing Farmers and Food

Updated 11/2020

Eating is one of the most important things we do, as if we don’t eat, we will die, yet we are less individually responsible for growing/raising our own food than ever before.

Today, just 2% of the population is connected to agriculture.

Globally we’re at about 1/3 of all food being lost or wasted.

It’s no wonder there’s so much conversation and curiosity about food.

We are lucky and can be thankful that there are people dedicating their lives to taking on the responsibility of food for us. It’s a 24/7, 365 day a year job reliant upon factors beyond our control, like weather, geography, and more.

Why and how farmers do what they do can’t be answered on one box. It can’t be explained in one picture, and it certainly can’t fit into 140 characters, or even 280 characters. So yes. We can be curious and ask questions. There’s loads of things to find out about.

Think of it this way. You do your job, and there are many people who have no idea why you do what you do or all the details involved. The same is true for farmers. It just feels more personal because we need them at the most basic level. They provide our food.

Imagine someone in your workplace automatically assuming you don’t know what you are doing and telling you what to do without having any training or experience in that area. Seems funny, right? How we treat each other, including areas we may be unfamiliar with, is important. 

Imagine someone you don’t know asking to visit you at home and have a look around. Would you let them?  When people say they want to visit a farm, they are entering someone’s home (people, plants and animals). If you have ever had the opportunity to be invited on a farm tour, you know it’s pretty awesome. If you’ve never been, remember how fun field trips were in school? Yep. It’s kind of like that.  Thanks to the farmers who have welcomed countless strangers to their homes to help them see some of the wonderful things happening on farms today.

Knowing “all” the details about something changes the perception of it, doesn’t it?

So check it out. Push pause, be curious, and ask questions when you see or hear something unfamiliar to you.  Explore the possibilities and consider what you are looking at, then let the fun conversation and understanding begin.

I like to think about topics and information from the outside in – you might say, walking in someone else’s shoes.  Ask questions. Be curious. Fantastic things can happen in a conversation between willing participants who are experts in different areas.

Who will you get to know today?

What new thing will you learn about?

What will you share about what you know?

Learning about what other people know and what they spend their time on is one of my favorite things to do. I think it might become one of yours, too. #share #learn #grow #smile