What do we mean when we talk about nature? You might picture mountain forests, beaches, or wild birds soaring in the sky. But nature isn’t just untouched wilderness—farm animals like cows, chickens, and sheep are part of it too. Farmers take care of this aspect of nature and much more. Yet they stay invisible with most people buying their products in the supermarket. A new way of selling farmers products is developing in the Netherlands. Direct-to-consumer farm sales have grown markedly. In 2016, only about 2,400 Dutch farms sold products on-farm or directly to local outlets; by 2020 that number had surged to 7,200 farms, nearly triple in four years. Little farm shops next to the farm and the cattle not only make consumption more transparent but also fairer. Severin Weh visited the farm De Zonnewijzer near Utrecht to talk about how we as consumers can support farmers and even save money in the process.
Know your farmer

Farm De Zonnewijzer