How farmers are staying strong during the pandemic

During the pandemic, the appeal of buying from local farmers is not just about values, it’s also about security. That is what CNBC noted as the pandemic changed the way that most people did business.

With store shelves being empty and people having to stock up on food and other essentials to wait out the pandemic, many would think that farmers are doing well. At the same time, with many restaurants shutting down or running on limited service, people would think that farmers are struggling. With commodity prices already low, to begin with, farmers have continued to struggle.

With all the extra food they have, farmers needed to focus more on their communities if they are to make ends meet. One way farmers have doubled down on their communities is by transitioning to a closed-loop system. This system gives the farmer full control of the food chain, which leaves little room for disruptions in the food chain.

Farmers under the closed-loop system would have their own grocery store, restaurant, bakery, slaughterhouse, etc. and with full control of the food chain, if ever one division underperforms, they can transfer their resources into another division. Currently, with restaurants struggling, farmers have either consumed the extra food or used it as fertilizer.

Communities under the closed-loop system didn't fear food shortages as much as people in cities and suburbs did. While many farmers that owned restaurants did get hurt by the pandemic, at least they had customers willing to buy more food from them. During the pandemic, many community members became bigger customers because of security as the scene of empty grocery shelves scares them.

The biggest drawback to a closed-loop system would be the huge dependence on the farmers. If the only farmer in the closed-loop system got sick, then the community would not only be vulnerable to deadly microbes in their food. Also, if the farmer couldn't work, his community is at risk of a food shortage.

However, by expanding the closed-loop food system into a closed-loop community food system, the community wouldn't have to rely on one farmer to provide the community with food. By making relations with other farmers, farmers can expand their closed-loop food system into a closed-loop community food system. This expansion gives community members more options for food.

In short, farmers are finding ways to make ends meet. By focusing more on their communities, farmers are setting themselves up for consistent business as the outside world falls apart due to the pandemic. People living in rural communities have better food security as their source of food is really close. Because many farmers were struggling for a long time due to low commodity prices, they had to find creative solutions to overcome the issue.