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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

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

上次的金融危機大約是十年前的事了，

yet this industry has never been bigger.

但，這個產業從未像現今如此龐大。

Legislation that was meant to better regulate its largest players

立法的目的應該是要針對

傷害小型個體戶的大型企業 制訂出更好的規範，

has hurt its smaller ones,

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

因這個產業絕大部分的資產 都被前 1% 的人所控制。

They've become too big to fail.

它們大到不能倒。

I'm not referring to big banks,

我指的不是大銀行，

but the world of Big Agriculture.

是大型農業產業的世界。

As a public health practitioner

身為曾經在盧安達和小規模 農夫合作過的公共衛生從業人員，

who has worked with small-scale farmers in Rwanda

and now as a small food business owner

並身為連結消費者和生產者的

who sits at the intersection between our consumers and producers,

小型食品公司的老闆，

I've been exposed to one of the most

我曾經接觸過全世界在生態 和經濟上最密集的產業之一，

ecologically and economically intensive industries in the world,

and throughout my work,

工作期間，我目睹了 一個讓人寒心的諷刺現象。

I've witnessed a chilling irony.

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

供應我們社區農作物的農夫， 卻買不起他們自己所種的作物。

Today, a handful of corporations continue to consolidate

現今，少數的企業持續鞏固

the entire food supply chain,

整個糧食供應鏈，

from the intellectual property of seeds to produce and livestock

從種子的智慧財產權， 到農產品及家畜，

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

一直到借錢給這些農夫的金融機構。

And the recent results have been rising bankruptcies for family farms

造成的結果是近期 越來越多的家庭農場破產，

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

只想在這個產業中 求生存的人幾乎沒有控制權。

Left unchecked, we will head into another economic collapse,

若再不注意，我們就會 朝向另一次經濟崩壞邁進，

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

和八〇年代的農業危機很類似，

when commodity market prices crashed,

那時商品市場的價格大跌，

interest rates doubled,

利率加倍，

and many farmers lost everything.

許多農夫失去了一切。

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

幸運的是，有一個非常 簡單的三步驟解決方案，

you can be part of right now

各位現在就可以參與，

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

協助我們由下而上來改革糧食產業。

Step one: shop at your local farmers markets.

第一步：在你當地的農夫市場購物。

Buying from your local market

在當地市場購買，

and subscribing to a community-supported agricultural produce box,

訂購眾所周知的

「社區支持農業」（CSA） 的蔬果箱，

better known as a CSA,

may be the single greatest purchasing decision you can make

可能是身為現代消費者的你

所能做出最棒的購買決策。

as a consumer today.

Last year, American farmers made the least they have

去年，美國農夫的收入

創下近三十年來的新低，

in almost three decades,

because they now own fewer parts of the supply chain

因為他們現在擁有的供應鏈環節，

than ever before.

比以前更少。

Under exclusive contracts with Big Ag and big box stores,

與大型農業企業和大型連鎖超市 所簽訂的獨家銷售合約，

farmers are not offered a fair price for their goods.

使農夫的產品無法賣到公平的價錢。

In fact, the average farmer in America

事實上，美國農夫平均只能 從你去商店購買的產品上

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

每一塊錢賺不到十五分錢。

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

另一方面，在農夫市場 銷售自己產品的農夫，

take home closer to 90 cents of every dollar.

每一塊錢卻可以拿到近九十分的錢。

But beyond taking home a larger share,

除了能拿回比較多的錢，

farmers use markets as an opportunity

農夫會把市場當作

to cultivate the next generation of agriculturalists

栽培下一代負責牧養我們農地

who shepherd our farmlands and our pastures.

和牧地的農場主的機會。

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

在對抗氣候的變遷中， 我們遠比以前更需要他們

to promote and preserve diverse land use.

來推動和保存多樣化的土地運用。

When multigenerational farms are lost to Big Ag consolidation,

當數世代的農場被 大型農業企業給併吞掉，

our communities suffer in countless ways.

我們的社區正遭受到數不清的危機。

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

現在美國鄉村地區的暴力犯罪 已經高於全國平均值。

Three out four farmworkers surveyed have been directly impacted

受訪的農場工人中，有四分之三曾經

by our opioid epidemic.

受到鴉片類藥物泛濫的直接影響。

Now oftentimes disguised as accidents,

雖然通常看起來像是意外事件，

farmer suicide is now on the rise.

但其實農夫自殺的人數正在攀升。

Step two: shop at your local farmers markets.

第二步：

到你當地的農夫市場去購物。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

大型零售店中的農產品通常 是在成熟之前就被採收下來，

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

運送一千多英里的路後， 才能在兩週後

roughly two weeks later.

送到你面前的貨架上。

Alternatively, because most farmers markets

或者，因為大部分的農夫市場

have proximity and production requirements,

有鄰近性和生產上的要求，

farmers travel less than 50 miles to offer you local produce

農夫只要運送不到五十英里的距離 就能提供你當地的農產品，

with minimal packaging waste.

且免掉不必要的包裝。

With the advent of online grocers and trending meal kits,

隨著線上食品雜貨商的出現 以及配好菜的快煮餐成為趨勢，

consumers are increasingly disconnected

消費者和他們的農夫

with their farmers and the economics of food production.

及糧食生產經濟間的連結逐漸斷開。

Since the rise of the smartphone revolution,

從智慧型手機革命興起後，

direct-to-consumer goods have stagnated.

直接銷售給消費者的產品就開始蕭條。

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

雖然當地的永續食物 已經流行了近十年，

terms like "healthy" and "natural"

但像「健康」及「天然」 這類用詞，在美國無法條可規範。

have no legal framework in the United States.

Your best bet for fresh, nutrient-rich foods

若想買新鮮、營養豐富的食物，

不被市場術語欺騙， 最好的選擇會是什麼？

without the marketing jargon?

Go to your farmers market.

到你的農夫市場購物。

Buying local is not a new idea,

買當地的食物並不是個新點子，

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

但要把它培養成一種習慣 仍是一個新的概念。

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

如果我們想要避免 用高價買到便宜的食物、

protect our environment,

保護我們的環境、

rebuild our communities

重建我們的社區，

and save our farmers -- literally --

並拯救我們的農夫—— 真正地拯救——

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

就得用採購食品的 方式來表達我們的意向。

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

我們的糧食體系成功與否 和大家都有直接的相關性。

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

如果我們想要打破大型農業企業 對糧食供應鏈的把持，

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

我們就得和我們的農夫建立連結。

We're going to need to rebuild relationships

我們就得要和這些每天

with the hands that feed us three times a day.

餵養我們三餐的雙手重建關係。

Plus, two more for snacks.

還要外加兩次點心。

Come on.

對吧。

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

政府有個線上資料庫，

裡面有全國超過八千六百個 農夫市場的資訊，

across the country,

you can easily find the nearest one to you.

很容易就能找到最近的一個。

Just think of yourself as an investor in food,

把自己想成是糧食的投資者，

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

你的購買力有助於為大家 創造出更公平的社會。

Oh!

喔！

Almost forgot step three,

差點忘了第三步，

which may surprise you:

可能出乎你的意料：

shop at your local farmers markets.

到你當地的農夫市場去購物。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）