What Does Togetherness Look Like?
Global leaders are currently gathering at COP27 under the theme of ‘Together for Implementation.’ And when it comes to something as complex as our global food system, it will absolutely take a collective, unified effort to make the shifts that need to happen for a more equitable, resilient future – a future where every local community has reliable access to nutritious food that has been produced in a way that helps build environmental health alongside economic prosperity.
But what does ‘togetherness’ look like outside of the conference? How can we ensure we don’t lose sight of it in the fight against climate change? And how can technology help us achieve our climate and community building goals?
Technology has enabled farmers to improve their yields and has made their jobs much less labor-intensive. While that enabled monumental production levels, we now know the industrialized method of farming has rapidly depleted our natural resources and accelerated climate change. We also now see that focusing solely on efficiency has increased the amount of food that goes to waste and has also cut off many local communities and regions from healthy food access in the effort to streamline the “most efficient,” economically beneficial supply chains. The fragility and inequity of these “streamlined” supply chains were made painfully clear during COVID-19.
A resilient food system should focus less on efficiency and more on ensuring sustained, reliable access for the health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of the communities it is produced in.
It's time to work towards food systems that are equally efficient, sustainable, and equitable.
Farm from a Box provides the technology needed to strengthen local and regional food systems. Providing key infrastructure in renewable energy, water, cold chain, and connectivity, our system works to lower on-farm emissions, stabilize crops through drought conditions, limit in-field crop loss, and reunite production and consumption at the community level.
Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond working towards the lowest environmental impact. We believe equity is a critical aspect of sustainability, too. With off-grid solar power and lower operating costs, Farm from a Box makes our infrastructure – and farming as a whole – more accessible and affordable for farmers and communities to adopt, maintain, and scale.
Keeping our core focus on communities ensures we don't lose sight of our 'togetherness' and creates opportunities for bottom-up and localized food system transformations. While we all enjoy a good avocado that has been shipped in from Mexico or a mango that has been grown in Peru, let’s work to strengthen our regional agricultural systems to supply our communities with locally grown food. Localizing our food chains increases the nutritional value of our food, helps economically strengthen our communities, and builds food independence in face of unpredictable supply chains and climatic events.
Building a food system that is resilient in the face of challenges must by nature be inclusive. Agriculture should not be a political issue – it is something we all rely on, across all borders, all races, all religions, and all ideologies. It's foundational to our collective wellbeing. Farming teaches what society is still struggling to learn: there is strength in diversity, what you give comes back generously, and we are all interconnected – what impacts one affects us all.
It’s not too late to course correct, take the achievements we have made in technology, and pair them with the wisdom and complexity of nature-based agricultural production so that we can address the inequities that have been exposed and build a future that is designed for us all to collectively thrive.
From COP27 to the US elections, polarization will only serve to divide and weaken us. Across language and culture, acting with togetherness is ultimately how we make great things happen.
Agriculture is a pathway to grow a more resilient, prosperous future for all of us – from the ground up – together.