Farmers deserve special considerations. They are subject to the vagaries of nature. Fertile land is chronically under-valued. Output prices do not include the true costs of farm labor. Villages lack infrastructure that urban centers take for granted.
The PHI is an exception. Even if you buy organic produce in a city market, you have to do so on trust. The United States has elaborate measures to check farm produce for pesticide residues, but such provisions in most countries exist only in regulatory files.
Urban communities depend upon their rural peers for safe food supplies. The picture below is enacted every day around Indian towns and in our farms. All stakeholders lose out in the process. The person who sprays pesticides without protective gear faces grave risks of acute poisoning. Anyone who eats vegetables grown as in the picture is vulnerable to chronic and sub-acute toxicities.
It is time to use Community Supported Agriculture for all our vegetable supplies, fruits, and salad ingredients. Write to me or post below if you would like to launch a CSA project near your retail area.
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