The urban consumer is involved in the field, while here, we're forgotten at the very end of the chain.
For an agricultural venture, I researched, read, and examined some rural production cooperatives in France. The first thing I observed was this: The consumer there isn't just a buyer; they're part of the production.
In France, someone living in the city, for any product they consume, knows:
• Where it was produced,
• Who grew it,
• Which seed was used, and in which season it was harvested.
Some go to the field to help with the harvest, some invest directly in the producer, and children are even taken from school to the field to learn directly on site. The consumer is not the last link in the chain. They are a partner connecting the chain.
Then, inevitably, the question came to mind: What about us?
• "Is it organic?" is asked, but no one cares how it's produced.
• "Is it expensive or cheap?" becomes the priority, but how much labor went into it is rarely asked.
• The consumer is often a figure who "looks at the package," decides based on price, but remains distant from the spirit of production.
Yet, food is not just consumed, it is understood. It is not just bought, it is felt. Every individual living in the city today should visit a field, a greenhouse, a farmer, even if just once.
Because!
• Behind a tomato on the table, there's a season, labor, a story.
• A grain of wheat is not just bread, it's the sustainability of the country.
In France, as this bond strengthens, agriculture develops daily. Here, as this bond breaks, the producer becomes isolated.
So I say. Let's not just talk about taste at the dinner table anymore. Let's talk about connection, about an awareness, about the soil, the farmer, the labor. Let's talk so that we can return to our essence.
