I invested and all I get is a T-shirt? In crowd-funding ventures such as Landwerk’s on Indiegogo, investor/donors receive tokens for their involvement.
A local economy friend sends us details of a group of German local economy advocates seeking to raise money at the crowd-funding website Indiegogo.com to promote a closer cooperation between consumers and farmers.
A similar effort is under way in Chattanooga, with the matter of raising capital a heavy strain. The Scenic City Food Co-Op suspended its online network program in June, judging by information on the site.
The group wants to facilitate a network that lets shoppers access online offers in a given locale and inform themselves more about agricultural life.
Landwerk envisions an effort to creation human relationship between diner and producer. Its camera shutter clicks three times:
➤ Farm visits — Farms run little stores, have a cafe, tours, take part in a farmer’s market.
➤ Online buying — Landwerk pursues the advantages of letting shoppers order online
➤ Farm blogs — Farmers write about their routines, giving a narrative to their customers and allow for shoppers to identify with the farmer. The Web creates a dietary nervous system, a localized market.
The shopper becomes interested in the world beyond the currency unit of Europe — the paper euro. The blogs and farm tours bring a personal connection between the townsman and the rural operator, offering compelling ideas. These might include rationales for his farming practices, ideas about good working conditions, the note that money spent on the farm stays in the local economy, notes about cultural landscape, protecting the environment as well as high-quality produce and prepared goods.
Transparency between farm and consumer
The Landwerk activists in their crowd-funding appeal assert the following.
We want to know where our food comes from and who is really behind it.
We are annoyed by the anonymous food in the supermarket; unfortunately, this is increasingly also the case with organic supermarkets. On the label is some beautiful farmyard; a brand name, which has some rural association. Where does the food come from, though?
➤ Farm or agribusiness? Is it a small or a large farm? A herd of 20 or 400 dairy cows?
➤ Is this really still regional produce? In which ways has the food made its journey to the shelves?
➤ Marketing or quality? Demeter, Gutes Land, Landliebe, EG-Bio, Landlust, Neuland, proven quality – have you really looked into this?
➤ Man or machine? What is the process? Fully automatised processes or using manual labour? Can you taste the difference?
➤ Safe? Does the the farm use genetically modified soy from Brazil, which by law does not have to be declared?
➤ Diversity? What does the farmyard offer? Does it offer food merely only as a commodity or is it a place of social life that would also like to invite you to visit?
The beauty of local economy arguably can be enjoyed by all of Germany, even its industrial districts. With the Internet, it will become possible for local markets to exist in which goods are picked up, and for orders to be placed remotely and shipped.
The activists care about farms over agribusiness. “Landwerk serves a rural agriculture which is characterised by regional economy; secure jobs; safe animal husbandry; fair pricing; biodiversity; a diverse cultural landscape, processing and production patterns; preservation and creation of cultural and recreational landscapes and protection of natural resources.”
Exclusivity allows for deeper relationships
Not any producer of food products will be allowed to participate. Only farmers are allowed. No dealers, processors, users of genetically modified feed or intensive livestock rearing practices.
Landwerk will launch this month with a target fundraising goal of 15,000 euros.
Please pass word to your friends about the work on free markets and local economy at Nooganomics.com. The labors we cover are encouraging, and I want to do my part to further the work of farmers.
