An Online Farmers Market (Assignment 1 News Report)

News Report #1

Andrew J. Darcy
An Online Farmers Market
By: Claire Cain Miller; New York Times
1/16/09
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/an-online-farmers-market/

The current trend in the local food market is to try to buy the freshest of produce. This urge is usually satisfied by our local farmers, but with technology this idea can be expanded to include farmers across the entire United States! Foodzie is now giving us ample options when it comes to selecting the freshest ingredients and gives their customers the choice of any produce that they can fathom. Through this technology they claim that they are opening up the local food industry to over 97% of people who are currently unable to take advantage of certain kinds of produce. Foodzie is creating a way for the “small farmer” to generate increased sales from unknown buyers in a more efficient manner that satisfies both the producers and the end users needs. This company is an upscale version of the already popular Etsy and is set up by producers making their own virtual storefront to display the goods that they are selling. Unlike Etsy, Foodzie is taking the initiative and acting as the middleman in all of the transactions. They are doing so by connecting buyers and sellers to make for a more efficient market place where people can find what they are looking for. While still small and growing they feel that the economy will not hurt their chances right now because of the popularity of the public’s opinion on local and fresh produce.

I believe this is a phenomenal idea and a great way to integrate technology with the down home feel of buying fresh produce. This is a great way to get the best of fruits and vegetables without going to the grocery store with their artificially increased prices. This use of technology will help the local farmers across the entire United States, but will also help the consumer in purchasing food that is not only good for them, but also the freshest possible. It is truly amazing how people can use technology to think outside of the box and to get something to the people that the people would really enjoy. Without technology there would be no way for these farmers to get their products to the end user in different states and probably in different areas within the state. This is a great website and through the use of technology, I believe this will benefit the “average Joe farmer” and the rest of us who are always looking for the freshest of foods.