Operating as a part of the Harvest Moon Society based in Clearwater, Manitoba, the Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative (HMLFI) connects consumers with farmers in what is essentially a year-round mobile farmers market. Winnipeggers are encouraged to sign up to become a member of this program (for free) in order to give them access to an online monthly marketplace. A network of small farmers then list the items they currently have available for sale (depending on what is in season) on the website where the buying club members can place orders. Once a month these orders are packed up and then delivered to a number of community drop-off points where customers get to not only pick up their food, but also to interact with some of the actual farmers that produced it (Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative, 2013).
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The HMLFI is important to these small farmers as alone they would be unable to bring their products to the Winnipeg market on such a frequent basis. Acting as a collective, however, allows them to take turns delivering the food to the city. By creating this network of small farmers the HMLFI has created a social support group for these farmers, increasing their resiliency through the construction of social networks. The farmers who are a part of the HMLFI are also required to abide by a code of practice through a set of production standards that calls for the ethical treatment of livestock as well as environmentally friendly production of vegetables and fruits banning the use of genetically modified seeds and synthetic treatments (Harvest Moon Local Food Initiative, 2013).
Furthermore, the HMLFI acts as a source of research for alternative agriculture direct-marketing programs. Through customer surveys (click here to see the survey) the HMLFI is working to identify the advantages and drawbacks of its food-buying program. The customer surveys identified some of the barriers and inconveniences experienced by the members noting ‘inconvenient pickup times’ and a lack of information as the most prevalent barriers (Anderson, 2013). The survey also indicated the driving forces behind why customers chose to buy food through the HMLFI, mostly citing sustainable farming practices (Anderson, 2013). This type of information and academic research is important in helping to make alternative food systems more viable and hopefully more widespread in the future.
Furthermore, the HMLFI acts as a source of research for alternative agriculture direct-marketing programs. Through customer surveys (click here to see the survey) the HMLFI is working to identify the advantages and drawbacks of its food-buying program. The customer surveys identified some of the barriers and inconveniences experienced by the members noting ‘inconvenient pickup times’ and a lack of information as the most prevalent barriers (Anderson, 2013). The survey also indicated the driving forces behind why customers chose to buy food through the HMLFI, mostly citing sustainable farming practices (Anderson, 2013). This type of information and academic research is important in helping to make alternative food systems more viable and hopefully more widespread in the future.