What is "Farm to table" concept?
"Farm to table" is when we, consumers, can buy directly from the Organic Farmers
Here in France there are two ways to do that:
1. Organic Farmers Market.
2. AMAP: Organic food delivered directly to the consumer each week.
1. Organic Farmers Market
Together with other local Organic Farmers, Agnes and Renaud have created a “Cooperative”, and every Saturday morning they sell their products at the Marche Paysan in Puget Théniers. Most villages in the French Riviera host a Farmers market in their main square once a week. It would be an interesting outing to explore them.
At the Marche Paysan in Puget Théniers we bought lots of Organic Vegetables, and 3 different cheeses: 2 chevre and 1 tome de Vache.
2. AMAP: Organic food delivered directly to the consumer each week.
AMAP (Associations pour le maintien d'une agriculture paysanne) can be traduced into:
Associations for the maintenance of family farming, in a nutshell: Supporting small scale Organic Farming.
An intersting "Farm to table" concept.
How does the concept work in reality?
The consumer commits to buying an agreed volume (Kg) of organic products from the farmer each week.
The price is fixed and based on each consumer’s requirements i.e. quantity and type of products they choose - ranging from Fruits, Vegetables, Eggs, Meat, Poultry or others. While the basket is always full, the types of fruit and vegetables delivered depends on the farmer’s weekly production.
The consumer pays the month up front, but prices can be as low as € 15 per week, up to higher prices depending on the volume of products required.
The farmer commits to supply the consumer with the agreed amount of certified organic products and delivers them to the AMAP center for collection. All products are delivered to the same centre at the same time, making it easier for the consumer to collect their weekly supply.
A centralized "Farm to table" delivery.
This community supported agricultural scheme normally runs each season i.e. Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, therefore renewable every 3 months.
This scheme is more than a buying and selling agreement, rather it is meant to build a closer relationship between the farmers and the consumer, where a mutual interest in organic farming is shared and supported through organised visits to the farms and other levels of cooperation.
This scheme exists across every region in France, and if you are interested you should be able to find a center near you.
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