We are all farmers by proxy.
You. Me.
And everyone you’ve ever met.
Ever.
In your whole life.
Granted, it might not feel like we’re farming.
I mean, we’re not sitting on tractors. We’re not chasing escapee sheep round our neighbours’ fields. And we’re not planting herbal leys to build soil health.
But every time we buy food, we are – by proxy – telling farmers what to grow.
And, crucially, how.
We’re telling them how much time and money they should spend on growing what we eat, and what to prioritise.
We’re telling them what to plant, and when.
We're telling them whether we care about nutrition and flavour, or just price.
We’re telling them whether or not we think gallons of pesticides and herbicides on our food and in our soil are cool. Or not.
We’re telling them how much we worry about the environment. About the rivers full of chickensh1t, and all the rest of it.
And we're telling them whether we give two hoots about how they raise and feed their animals, and whether we care about what we eat eats.
I’d not really thought of it like this before, until a very smart young person I met recently put it to me in these terms.
But it’s true, isn’t it?
And it’s true whether you’re buying from the supermarkets and their pals in Big Food or from Wylde’s small scale, regenerative and organic producers.
If you’re buying food, you’re farming by proxy.
Nick
PS – the market is open.
PPS – so is the Bottle Store - for truly incredible low intervention, regenerative and organic booze.
PPPS – and the Christmas Market is open too. Time to get that Christmas dinner sorted, if you haven't already.
