Engage with local community to support your farming business

‘If you are not at the table, you will be on the table.’ This slogan is very true for the farming business too. Many decisions about farming are taken by people who don’t have experience with agriculture. By networking with the local community and beyond, you can make your voice heard for the benefit of the farming sector.

Get your voice heard

So many decisions affect the farming community, but farmers have not even been consulted. True, farmers tend to be too busy tending the livestock or working the fields, but if we don’t actively speak up for our sector, the conditions for agriculture will only get worse. It is only fair that we get a say on decisions that affect us.

It is important that agriculture is not only talked about, but that there are also serious discussions with the agricultural sector. Farmers have a unique perspective on a vital primary sector of our economy: producing food to feed the world. That’s why we need to speak up and get our voice heard.

Join agricultural organisations

The most obvious way to defend your farming business is via interest organisations in the agricultural sector. These can be farmers’ unions, agricultural boards, commodity organisations and so on. The aim of these organisations is to defend the interests of farms and farmers.

So if you want to give input on themes that affect your farming business, you can** become active in these organisations**. Simply express your interest and join some of the meetings. They are usually very happy to welcome enthusiastic people who want to help nudge the debates on in the right direction.

Create local change

Ok, being involved in policy-making is not everybody’s cup of tea. But you can also make a difference locally. You could for instance work with local schools and invite the teachers and pupils for a field trip to your farm. By showing the work you do, you help create a future generation of consumers that appreciates the work that goes into the production of their food. This will create a positive relationship with your community.

Another way to make your mark locally is to sell your produce directly to the people around you. You can open your own farm shop, join a cooperative or have a stand at the local farmers’ market. People want to know where their food comes from and who produced it. Selling to the local community is also more sustainable, as the products don’t have to travel around the country or the world. The ‘short chain’ provides consumers with fresher produce, and you get active supporters who believe in your farming activity.

Influence the public opinion

If you open up to the people and show the great work you are doing, you generate support for your farming business. We already mentioned the school trips, but you could also participate in ‘open farm days’ to put the agricultural sector in the spotlights and show its importance for food provision. It only takes an information sign, some promotion and a day of showing people around your farm.

Face-to-face meetings with the public are great for creating connections, but in this day and age, don’t forget about the power of social media. It is a great opportunity to give consumers a peek behind the scenes of your farm. This will make people aware of all the effort you put in the food they eat. And if this communication technology is not your thing, there is bound to be someone in your family who is born with a smartphone in his/her hand who can help out!

All the little actions and positive contacts together have a big impact on our sector. If we show people where their food comes from and how it is produced, we gain more support for farming.