One Organic Tomato: Local Organic Food and Consumer Demand

There once was a farmer and that farmer had a thriving community that bought his produce. He would sell it through a community supported agriculture share, a cooperative model of growing and sharing local organic food. While the shareholders were very happy as a matter of course, they began to tell the farmer that they wanted more tomatoes. And here's the catch: the farmer wanted more tomatoes too, but they are devilishly tricky to grow in Pacific Northwest, the place where he grows food.

Food markets have changed radically since the early part of the twentieth century. Instead of providing staples to supplement home grown produce and instead of providing a place for local vendors to sell their wares, today's supermarket provides food from countries around the world. There's choice in everything. Even peanut butter comes in crunchy, smooth, natural, sweet, chocolate and honey. The simplest grocery items are found in the produce aisles, but even these have a storied history. Strawberries from way down south? Check. Mangos from halfway around the world? Of course. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available in any season, no matter whether there is snow on the ground or sun in the sky.

What is a local farmer to do? There's an increasing push to eat local and organic, yet the palates of consumers have been shaped by the supermarkets of today. People are used to eating tomatoes in January. More subtly, they are used to eating tomatoes, period. Crops that are challenging and expensive to grow seem to be the ones that people love to eat. In the Pacific Northwest, crops like greens grow well while crops like strawberries and tomatoes have a little issue with the high amount of rainfall and the moderate amount of heat and sunshine. These crops will grow, at a price. To create organic local tomatoes, the tomatoes need to be coddled a little, and coddling takes time and money.

How can farmers feed the local market while catering to the expanded tastes of the twenty-first century palate? For the farmer in question, price incentives have worked well. Start valuing tomatoes as the delicacies that they are, and the collard greens and kale become a little more attractive. Provide customers with recipes for the kale, and it becomes a part of their diet. Either that or those who buy produce decide to splurge on tomatoes and the farmer gets adequately compensated for his time. Rethinking our food and moving towards local and organic often involves revaluing our food and the role it plays in household budgets.