As someone who has worked most of the biggest farmers markets in London for 14 years for a small market garden farm, i have 2 words: advocacy and trust.
First our culture has to change that we actually value food, it's growing aswell as cooking and eating, and this means a massive shift in our culture from an urban outlook to a more balanced view of life where land working is a normal and cool part of life.
Trust means partaking in a fair trade, one that is economic, of best quality and ethical, by which i mean not only welfare and environmentaly sound but genuine. If you look in farm shops and farmers markets, what guarentee is there that produce is actually grown in the UK let alone on the farm it is meant to be ( at market ) or organic? Farming in a business and farmers a business people, and at the end of the day our customers are the ones who deserve the best. CSA in my opinion is ine way to bring trust to farming. Farming is more important than short term profit, and the more of us are involved in our communities the better...
This is so well put I totally agree advocacy and trust really are the heart of it.
On advocacy: We need a cultural reset where growing, cooking, and eating well are valued skills, not niche hobbies. Making land work “normal and cool” starts with visibility, school gardens, city allotments, farm visits, real farmer stories, and policy that backs local producers instead of just cheap imports.
On trust: totally agree that “fair trade” at home means economic fairness, quality, ethics, and honesty about provenance. You’re right without clear guarantees, some “farm” shops and markets blur the lines.
Practical fixes could help:
- Clear stallholder standards and random spot checks at markets
- Transparent labelling (grown here/on this farm/wholesale resell)
- Publish producer lists and audits online
Encourage CSAs and membership models where customers see the farm and the books
CSA is a brilliant trust-builder because it turns buyers into partners. When people share risk and seasonality with you, they understand the food and the farmer so much more deeply.
Thank you for bringing 14 years of hard-won perspective. If you’ve seen any markets doing verification well in London, I’d love to hear examples we can champion. The more we normalise real standards and community involvement, the stronger the whole system gets.
You need to mobilise the whole of London to be on your side. I have no idea about farming but I now you’re crucial to the safety of food. I don’t want billy gates’ food or mosquitos in burgers.
Thank you so much for your support, it honestly means a lot to hear that perspective from someone outside the farming world. You’re absolutely right: the future of British food isn’t just a rural issue, it affects everyone, including those in our biggest cities. Mobilising urban communities like London could make a huge difference in raising awareness and pushing for real change. I couldn’t agree more, we need a food system that puts people, farmers, and real food first, not just corporate interests or questionable tech fixes. Thanks for standing with us!
As someone who has worked most of the biggest farmers markets in London for 14 years for a small market garden farm, i have 2 words: advocacy and trust.
First our culture has to change that we actually value food, it's growing aswell as cooking and eating, and this means a massive shift in our culture from an urban outlook to a more balanced view of life where land working is a normal and cool part of life.
Trust means partaking in a fair trade, one that is economic, of best quality and ethical, by which i mean not only welfare and environmentaly sound but genuine. If you look in farm shops and farmers markets, what guarentee is there that produce is actually grown in the UK let alone on the farm it is meant to be ( at market ) or organic? Farming in a business and farmers a business people, and at the end of the day our customers are the ones who deserve the best. CSA in my opinion is ine way to bring trust to farming. Farming is more important than short term profit, and the more of us are involved in our communities the better...
This is so well put I totally agree advocacy and trust really are the heart of it.
On advocacy: We need a cultural reset where growing, cooking, and eating well are valued skills, not niche hobbies. Making land work “normal and cool” starts with visibility, school gardens, city allotments, farm visits, real farmer stories, and policy that backs local producers instead of just cheap imports.
On trust: totally agree that “fair trade” at home means economic fairness, quality, ethics, and honesty about provenance. You’re right without clear guarantees, some “farm” shops and markets blur the lines.
Practical fixes could help:
- Clear stallholder standards and random spot checks at markets
- Transparent labelling (grown here/on this farm/wholesale resell)
- Publish producer lists and audits online
Encourage CSAs and membership models where customers see the farm and the books
CSA is a brilliant trust-builder because it turns buyers into partners. When people share risk and seasonality with you, they understand the food and the farmer so much more deeply.
Thank you for bringing 14 years of hard-won perspective. If you’ve seen any markets doing verification well in London, I’d love to hear examples we can champion. The more we normalise real standards and community involvement, the stronger the whole system gets.
You need to mobilise the whole of London to be on your side. I have no idea about farming but I now you’re crucial to the safety of food. I don’t want billy gates’ food or mosquitos in burgers.
Thank you so much for your support, it honestly means a lot to hear that perspective from someone outside the farming world. You’re absolutely right: the future of British food isn’t just a rural issue, it affects everyone, including those in our biggest cities. Mobilising urban communities like London could make a huge difference in raising awareness and pushing for real change. I couldn’t agree more, we need a food system that puts people, farmers, and real food first, not just corporate interests or questionable tech fixes. Thanks for standing with us!