On Sunday, December 28, SFS and the Surin Green Consumers Club hosted the second annual "field-trip" to visit Green Market vendors and SFS members in Tamor sub-district. This event is an example of the kind of relationship we are striving to create between local producers and consumers. By providing several avenues - the Green Market, the Raan Kao Hom organic rice and herbal product shop and our "Smiley Garbage" program - a constituency of supporters, of "Green Consumers," has come together for various events and get-togethers throughout the year. Their annual visit to our members' fields, however, is a special opportunity to get out and see how organic farmers grow their crops, raise livestock and prepare the sweet snacks that so many consumers have come to love. Plus, everyone got to go home with free, pick-your own produce!
The "field-trip" creates new connections between producers and consumers, but also re-affirms existing ones. Urban consumers can feel confident that their food is produced safely and organically - they just come out to the farms! People are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from and how it's produced and we feel that this kind of relationship-building is a kind of certification itself. SFS farmers' food isn't just organic or their rice just Fair Trade, it's also "community food security friendly" and wanting to be eaten by local consumers who care about their health and the livelihoods of producers. This event is a symbol of the small-scale, local food system at work here in Surin. The vendors at the Green Market are transparently producing and directly selling healthy food as part of a movement for food security and fair trade.
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