Author’s note:  I created this photo story several years ago and at that time the GRUB CSA wasn’t selling at the Saturday Farmers’ Market.  I include them now along with Bruce as one of the local organic family farms that serve to bring farm and table closer together.

In times like these, when many people are suffering from economic hardships and the Earth is suffering from environmental degradation, it’s not sustainable to have our food trucked in to us from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.  The Saturday Chico Farmers’ Markets provides local, small family farmers a central place to truck their crops a short distance and sell directly to their customers.  It’s less costly to the farmer, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and provides fresher food for the customer.  Farmers and customers meet each week, building a relationship that’s not possible when buying from corporate grocery outlets whose suppliers are often distant and unknown to the buyer. My photos tell the story of Bruce, a local, organic farmer who lives and grows his crops on acreage within two miles of the downtown Farmers’ Market, and his relationship to a customer who lives within one mile of the Market and buys from him each week.  Bruce says it’s important to keep our nearby valuable farmland productive and secure from the ambitions of developers who would convert the land to other “more profitable” uses.  And with the price of gasoline continuing to rise and the threat of GMOs in unlabeled foods, it’s to the customer’s advantage to have a source of fresh, organic food that’s close by and accessible.

GRUB CSA, small family farm, from left to right: Orin, Francine, Lee. Not pictured is their CSA partner, Michael Shaw