Sourcing Policy

Creating a strong and just local food system

Sourcing for Farm Shares

Urban farms are well-positioned to act as hubs for regional agriculture. Because of our urban location, we have access to large community that is hungry for locally-grown products. This means we have the opportunity to bolster regional food systems. We are doing this by creating a win-win scenario that benefits PIF-network farmers and farmers in the broader region. Specifically in the Farm Share, we may choose to source in additional products from local farmers outside the Plant It Forward network, in order to increase variety and meet the challenge of matching the dynamic nature of seasonality with supply and demand.

  • Increased variety: Certain crops – like potatoes, fruits, winter squashes and melons – are highly desirable, but better suited to larger farms. Sourcing in these products allows Plant It Forward farmers to specialize in more space-and-time-efficient crops.

  • Dynamic nature of seasonality: The nature of farming is to experience a continuous cycling between surplus and scarcity. Sourcing from a wider region ensures the value of every Farm Share no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.

Rest assured, sourcing in additional products helps PIF farmers’ bottom line. This is not a position – it’s a fact. We communicate the grower of every product via our regular email communications with Farm Shareholders. The outside farms we choose to work with are either Certified Organic or managed with sustainable practices. We source directly from the local farmers we know, as well as via local food distributors Common Market Texas and Farm To Table Texas – both of whom are mission-driven enterprises doing the important work of strengthening our regional food systems working directly with small and medium-scale farmers.

 

2 Types of Farm Shares

We offer 2 kinds of Farm Shares at Plant It Forward: Master Farmer or Food Hub.

Master Farmer Shares are serviced by a single Plant It Forward farmer. You’ll see the farmer’s name indicated during the sign-up process. Master Farmer Shares give the Shareholder a closer opportunity to build a direct relationship with their farmer and experience the highlights and seasonality of a single Plant It Forward farm.

Food Hub Shares aggregate produce from all Plant It Forward farms, as well as other local and regional sustainable farms outside the immediate PIF network, for centralized packing and distribution. Food Hub Shares allow the Shareholder to partake in the seasonal highlights of all Plant It Forward farms. Shareholders receive an emailed list of all products included in each Share typically the day before or day-of distribution.

Both Master Farmer and Food Hub Shares may include produce sourced from other local and regional farmers. The growers of sourced products are always identified via email communication to Shareholders the day before or day-of distribution.

Learn more about the Farm Share

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