Why you should shop at your local farmers market | Mohammad Modarres

Translator: Joachim Mangilima Reviewer: Joyce Nyakale

imetimia kama miaka 10, toka mtikisiko wa mwisho wa uchumi

It's been about a decade since the last financial crisis,

yet this industry has never been bigger.

lakini bado tasnia ni kubwa sana

Legislation that was meant to better regulate its largest players

Sheria ambazo zilipaswa kusimamia vema mashirika makubwa.

has hurt its smaller ones,

yameishia kuumiza mashirika madogo,

resulting in most of the industry's assets to be controlled by the top one percent.

ikisababisha mali nyingi kudhibitiwa na asilimia moja ya juu.

They've become too big to fail.

wamekuwa wakubwa sana kuanguka

I'm not referring to big banks,

Simaanishi benki kubwa,

but the world of Big Agriculture.

lakini namaanisha ulimwengu wa Kilimo Kikubwa.

As a public health practitioner

Kama mtendaji wa afya ya jamii

who has worked with small-scale farmers in Rwanda

ambaye amefanya kazi na wakulima wadogo Rwanda

and now as a small food business owner

na sasa kama mmiliki wa biashara ndogo ya chakula

who sits at the intersection between our consumers and producers,

ambaye yuko kati ya walaji na wazalishaji

I've been exposed to one of the most

nimeonyeshwa moja kati ya

ecologically and economically intensive industries in the world,

tasnia zinazotumia nguvu sana kiuchumi na kiikolojia duniani,

and throughout my work,

na kupitia kazi yangu,

I've witnessed a chilling irony.

nimeona kitu cha ajabu,

Our farmers, who feed our communities, cannot afford the very foods they grow.

wakulima wetu, wanaolisha jamii zetu, hawawezi kumudu chakula wanachokilima.

Today, a handful of corporations continue to consolidate

Leo, mashirika kadhaa yanaendelea kuungana

the entire food supply chain,

mnyororo wote wa usambazaji chakula,

from the intellectual property of seeds to produce and livestock

kutoka katika hatimiliki ya mbegu na wanyama

all the way to the financial institutions who lend to these farmers.

mpaka mashirika ya kifedha yanayokopesha wakulima hawa.

And the recent results have been rising bankruptcies for family farms

matokeo yake yamekuwa ongezeko la kufilisika kwa mashamba ya kifamilia

and little control for those who are just trying to survive in the industry.

na udhibiti kidogo kwa wale wanaotaka kudumu katika tasnia hii.

Left unchecked, we will head into another economic collapse,

Ikiachwa hivi, tutaenda katika anguko jingine la kiuchumi,

one very similar to the farm crisis of the 1980s,

linalofanana na anguko la kilimo la miaka ya 1980

when commodity market prices crashed,

pale ambapo bei za mazao zilipoanguka

interest rates doubled,

riba zilipoongezeka kwa mara mbili

and many farmers lost everything.

wakulima wengi wakapoteza kila kitu.

Fortunately, there's a very simple, three-part solution

Bahati nzuri,kuna ufumbuzi rahisi wa sehemu tatu

you can be part of right now

unaweza sasa hivi kuwa sehemu ya

to help us transform our food industry from the bottom up.

kusaidia kubadilisha tasnia ya chakula kutoka chini kwenda juu

Step one: shop at your local farmers markets.

Hatua ya kwanza: fanya manunuzi katika masoko ya wakulima

Buying from your local market

Kununua toka katika soko la eneo lako husika

and subscribing to a community-supported agricultural produce box,

na mazao ya kilimo katika jamii yako.

better known as a CSA,

yajulikanayo kama CSA,

may be the single greatest purchasing decision you can make

inaweza kuwa ni uamuzi bora kabisa unaoweza kufanya

as a consumer today.

kama mlaji leo.

Last year, American farmers made the least they have

Mwaka jana, Wakulima wa Marekani walipato kipato kidogo

in almost three decades,

sana ndani ya miongo mitatu

because they now own fewer parts of the supply chain

kwa sababu sasa wanamiliki sehemu kidogo sana ya mnyororo wa ugavi

than ever before.

Kuliko wakati mwingine.

Under exclusive contracts with Big Ag and big box stores,

kupitia mikataba na mashirika na maduka makubwa ya kilimo

farmers are not offered a fair price for their goods.

wakulima hawapati bei nzuri ya mazao yao.

In fact, the average farmer in America

Kwa hakika, mkulima wa kawaida Marekani

makes less than 15 cents of every dollar on a product that you purchase at a store.

anapata chini ya senti 15 kwa kila dola moja ya bidhaa unayonunua dukani.

On the other hand, farmers who sell their goods at a farmers market

kwa pande mwingine, wakulima wanaouza mazao yao kwenye masoko ya wakulima

take home closer to 90 cents of every dollar.

wanapata karibia senti 90 kwa kila dolla 1

But beyond taking home a larger share,

lakini zaidi ya kuchukua kiasi kikubwa,

farmers use markets as an opportunity

wakulima wanatumia masoko haya kama fursa

to cultivate the next generation of agriculturalists

ya kujenga kizazi kijacho cha wakulima

who shepherd our farmlands and our pastures.

watakaolinda mashamba na wanyama wetu.

In our fight against climate change, we need them now more than ever

katika kupambana na mabadiliko ya tabia nchi,

to promote and preserve diverse land use.

kuhimiza na kudumisha matumizi mbalimbali ya ardhi

When multigenerational farms are lost to Big Ag consolidation,

Pale mashamba ya vizazi kadhaa yanapochukuliwa na makampuni makubwa ya kilimo,

our communities suffer in countless ways.

jamii zetu zinapata shida kwa namna nyingi.

Rural America has now jumped above the national average in violent crime.

Kiwango cha uhalifu wa kutumia nguvu Marekani vijijini kimepanda kuzidi wastani wa kitaifa

Three out four farmworkers surveyed have been directly impacted

wakulima watatu kati ya wanne waliohojiwa wameathirika moja kwa moja

by our opioid epidemic.

na mlipuko wa madawa ya kulevya

Now oftentimes disguised as accidents,

mara nyingi ikifichwa kama ajali,

farmer suicide is now on the rise.

kujiua kwa wakulima kunazidi kupanda

Step two: shop at your local farmers markets.

Hatua ya pili: nunua katika masoko ya wakulima katika eneo lako

(Laughter)

(vicheko)

Produce from a large retail store is harvested before it's ripe

mazao kutoka maduka makubwa yanavunwa kabla hayajaiva

to travel more than a thousand miles before it ultimately sits on your shelf

ili kusafiri zaidi ya maili elfu moja kabla ya kufikishwa dukani

roughly two weeks later.

kama wiki mbili hivi baadae

Alternatively, because most farmers markets

mbadala wa hali hii, ni kwa kuwa masoko mengi ya wakulima

have proximity and production requirements,

yako karibu na maeneo ya uzalishaji,

farmers travel less than 50 miles to offer you local produce

wakulima wanasafiri chini maili 50 kukupatia mazao ya eneo husika

with minimal packaging waste.

bila uharibifu mwingi wa vifungashio

With the advent of online grocers and trending meal kits,

kukiwa na ongezeko la wanunuzi mtandaoni na vyakula vilivyoandaliwa kabla

consumers are increasingly disconnected

wateja wanazidi kutohusiana

with their farmers and the economics of food production.

na wakulima wao na uchumi wa uzalishaji chakula

Since the rise of the smartphone revolution,

Toka kuibuka kwa mapinduzi ya simu janja

direct-to-consumer goods have stagnated.

huduma ya bidhaa moja kwa moja kwa mteja imefifia

While local and sustainable foods have been trending for almost a decade,

Lakini vyakula vya eneo husika na endelevu vimeshika chati kwa miaka karibia kumi,

terms like "healthy" and "natural"

maneno kama "ya kiafya" na "asilia"

have no legal framework in the United States.

hayana mfumo wa kisheria nchini Marekani.

Your best bet for fresh, nutrient-rich foods

Unataka kubahatisha chakula kizuri chenye virutubisho vingi

without the marketing jargon?

bila maneno ya wauzaji?

Go to your farmers market.

Nenda kwenye soko lako la wakulima.

Buying local is not a new idea,

Kununua vitu vya eneo husika sio wazo jipya,

but turning it into a habit in today's world still is.

lakini kufanya hilo kama tabia katika dunia ya leo bado ni kitu kipya.

If we want to avoid the high costs of cheap food,

kama tunataka kuondokana na gharama kubwa ya chakula rahisi

protect our environment,

kulinda mazingira yetu,

rebuild our communities

kujenga upya jamii zetu.

and save our farmers -- literally --

na kuwaokoa wakulima wetu --kwa hakika --

we're going to need to vote with our food purchases.

tunahitaji kupiga kura kwa manunuzi yetu ya chakula.

The success of our food systems is directly attached to us.

Mafanikio ya mifumo yetu ya chakula ina uhusiano wa moja kwa moja nasi.

If we want to break up Big Ag's hold on our food supply chain,

Kama tunataka kuvunja kuhodhiwa kwa mnyororo wa ugavi wa chakula na makampuni makubwa

then we're going to need to connect with our farmers.

tutahitaji kuwa na uhusiano na wakulima wetu

We're going to need to rebuild relationships

tutahitaji kujenga mahusiano

with the hands that feed us three times a day.

na mikono inayotulisha mara tatu kwa siku.

Plus, two more for snacks.

na mara mbili kwa ajili ya vitafunwa.

Come on.

Inawezekana

With a government online database of more than 8,600 farmers markets

Kukiwa na hifadhidata ya mtandaoni ya serikali ya masoko ya wakulima zaidi ya 8,600

across the country,

nchi nzima.

you can easily find the nearest one to you.

unaweza kirahisi kupata lililo karibu nawe.

Just think of yourself as an investor in food,

Jifikirie tu kama mwekezaji katika chakula,

where your purchasing power helps create a more equitable society for everyone.

ambapo nguvu yako ya manunuzi inasaidia kutengeneza jamii yenye uwiano kwa kila mtu.

Oh!

Oh!

Almost forgot step three,

Nilitaka kusahau hatua ya tatu,

which may surprise you:

ambayo inawez kukushangaza:

shop at your local farmers markets.

nunua kwenye masoko ya wakulima wa eneo husika.

(Laughter)

(Vicheko)

Thank you.

Asante

(Applause)

(Makofi)