TED Residency
Mohammad Modarres: Why you should shop at your local farmers market
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The average farmer in America makes less than 15 cents of every dollar on a product that you purchase at a store. They feed our communities, but farmers often cannot afford the very foods they grow. In this actionable talk, social entrepreneur Mohammad Modarres shows how to put your purchasing power into action to save local agriculture from collapse and transform the food industry from the bottom up.
Mohammad Modarres - Social entrepreneur
Mohammad Modarres developed the first-ever Zabihah Halal and Glatt Kosher "Interfaith Meat" to make faith-based foods more accessible. Full bio
Mohammad Modarres developed the first-ever Zabihah Halal and Glatt Kosher "Interfaith Meat" to make faith-based foods more accessible. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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It's been about a decade
since the last financial crisis,
since the last financial crisis,
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yet this industry has never been bigger.
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Legislation that was meant
to better regulate its largest players
to better regulate its largest players
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has hurt its smaller ones,
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resulting in most of the industry's assets
to be controlled by the top one percent.
to be controlled by the top one percent.
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They've become too big to fail.
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I'm not referring to big banks,
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but the world of Big Agriculture.
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As a public health practitioner
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who has worked with
small-scale farmers in Rwanda
small-scale farmers in Rwanda
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and now as a small food business owner
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who sits at the intersection
between our consumers and producers,
between our consumers and producers,
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I've been exposed to one of the most
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ecologically and economically
intensive industries in the world,
intensive industries in the world,
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and throughout my work,
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I've witnessed a chilling irony.
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Our farmers, who feed our communities,
cannot afford the very foods they grow.
cannot afford the very foods they grow.
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Today, a handful of corporations
continue to consolidate
continue to consolidate
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the entire food supply chain,
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from the intellectual property of seeds
to produce and livestock
to produce and livestock
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all the way to the financial institutions
who lend to these farmers.
who lend to these farmers.
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And the recent results have been
rising bankruptcies for family farms
rising bankruptcies for family farms
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and little control for those who are just
trying to survive in the industry.
trying to survive in the industry.
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Left unchecked, we will head
into another economic collapse,
into another economic collapse,
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one very similar to
the farm crisis of the 1980s,
the farm crisis of the 1980s,
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when commodity market prices crashed,
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interest rates doubled,
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and many farmers lost everything.
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Fortunately, there's a very simple,
three-part solution
three-part solution
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you can be part of right now
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to help us transform our food industry
from the bottom up.
from the bottom up.
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Step one: shop at
your local farmers markets.
your local farmers markets.
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Buying from your local market
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and subscribing to a community-supported
agricultural produce box,
agricultural produce box,
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better known as a CSA,
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may be the single greatest
purchasing decision you can make
purchasing decision you can make
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as a consumer today.
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Last year, American farmers
made the least they have
made the least they have
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in almost three decades,
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because they now own
fewer parts of the supply chain
fewer parts of the supply chain
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than ever before.
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Under exclusive contracts
with Big Ag and big box stores,
with Big Ag and big box stores,
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farmers are not offered
a fair price for their goods.
a fair price for their goods.
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In fact, the average farmer in America
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makes less than 15 cents of every dollar
on a product that you purchase at a store.
on a product that you purchase at a store.
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On the other hand, farmers who sell
their goods at a farmers market
their goods at a farmers market
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take home closer to
90 cents of every dollar.
90 cents of every dollar.
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But beyond taking home a larger share,
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farmers use markets as an opportunity
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to cultivate the next generation
of agriculturalists
of agriculturalists
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who shepherd our farmlands
and our pastures.
and our pastures.
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In our fight against climate change,
we need them now more than ever
we need them now more than ever
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to promote and preserve diverse land use.
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When multigenerational farms
are lost to Big Ag consolidation,
are lost to Big Ag consolidation,
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our communities suffer in countless ways.
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Rural America has now jumped above
the national average in violent crime.
the national average in violent crime.
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Three out four farmworkers surveyed
have been directly impacted
have been directly impacted
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by our opioid epidemic.
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Now oftentimes disguised as accidents,
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farmer suicide is now on the rise.
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Step two: shop at
your local farmers markets.
your local farmers markets.
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(Laughter)
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Produce from a large retail store
is harvested before it's ripe
is harvested before it's ripe
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to travel more than a thousand miles
before it ultimately sits on your shelf
before it ultimately sits on your shelf
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roughly two weeks later.
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Alternatively, because
most farmers markets
most farmers markets
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have proximity and
production requirements,
production requirements,
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farmers travel less than 50 miles
to offer you local produce
to offer you local produce
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with minimal packaging waste.
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With the advent of online grocers
and trending meal kits,
and trending meal kits,
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consumers are increasingly disconnected
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with their farmers and the economics
of food production.
of food production.
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Since the rise of
the smartphone revolution,
the smartphone revolution,
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direct-to-consumer goods have stagnated.
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While local and sustainable foods
have been trending for almost a decade,
have been trending for almost a decade,
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terms like "healthy" and "natural"
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have no legal framework
in the United States.
in the United States.
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Your best bet for fresh,
nutrient-rich foods
nutrient-rich foods
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without the marketing jargon?
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Go to your farmers market.
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Buying local is not a new idea,
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but turning it into a habit
in today's world still is.
in today's world still is.
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If we want to avoid
the high costs of cheap food,
the high costs of cheap food,
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protect our environment,
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rebuild our communities
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and save our farmers -- literally --
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we're going to need to vote
with our food purchases.
with our food purchases.
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The success of our food systems
is directly attached to us.
is directly attached to us.
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If we want to break up Big Ag's hold
on our food supply chain,
on our food supply chain,
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then we're going to need
to connect with our farmers.
to connect with our farmers.
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We're going to need
to rebuild relationships
to rebuild relationships
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with the hands that feed us
three times a day.
three times a day.
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Plus, two more for snacks.
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Come on.
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With a government online database
of more than 8,600 farmers markets
of more than 8,600 farmers markets
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across the country,
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you can easily find
the nearest one to you.
the nearest one to you.
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Just think of yourself
as an investor in food,
as an investor in food,
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where your purchasing power helps create
a more equitable society for everyone.
a more equitable society for everyone.
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Oh!
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Almost forgot step three,
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which may surprise you:
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shop at your local farmers markets.
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(Laughter)
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Thank you.
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06:00
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mohammad Modarres - Social entrepreneurMohammad Modarres developed the first-ever Zabihah Halal and Glatt Kosher "Interfaith Meat" to make faith-based foods more accessible.
Why you should listen
As the founder of Abe's Eats, Mohammad Modarres is working to create a more inclusive and equitable food system for all. With past lives as the cofounder of a biotech company, award-winning political cartoonist and creative strategist for nonprofits and public companies alike, he's always sought to produce products and programs that break barriers and bring people together. Today, he uses the power of food to foster interfaith unity and inclusivity by making the growing need for faith-based (religious) Halal and Kosher foods more accessible and more inclusive.
A public health practitioner by training, Modarres entered the food world by accident when he produced the first two-in-one "Interfaith Meat" that is both (Zabihah) Halal and (Glatt) Kosher. The product was made for his "Shabbat Salaam" dinner, which was meant to bring friends together to foster community as a response to the rising wave of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim bigotry after the 2016 US election cycle. In just over a year, more than 1,000 attendees have participated in Shabbat Salaam, while Interfaith Meat helps early adopters save on time, money and inventory space and reduce food waste.
Through the TED Residency program, Modarres incubated Abe’s Eats, a food brand that offers Interfaith Meat and other food products. In his journey to produce Interfaith Meat, he has worked with food experts and religious leaders, given talks on regenerative agriculture and its impact on carbon soil and now promotes food production that benefits the local American rancher and farmer.
Mohammad Modarres | Speaker | TED.com