Are you aware of the origin of your fruit and vegetables? Usually bananas, apples, tomatoes and other products have so many stops in between until they end up on our plates that it is difficult to keep track of them.

We, therefore, buy from our local market to reduce the number of intermediaries and transport routes as much as possible. There is, however, a more direct way: you can order your food directly from the producer. A platform offering this is CrowdFarming.com.

The founders’ goal from the beginning was to bypass the middleman in the food supply chain. By buying food from farmers without middlemen, they can obtain better prices. That helps create better jobs and more social conditions in rural areas.

So, here are some scary numbers for you: a large part of food waste takes place before it reaches your home. 11% of waste occurs at the point of origin, 19% during preparation and sale to retailers, and 5% at the point of sale. By opting for imperfect but sustainably farmed fruits and vegetables, you are helping to minimize these numbers.

And that has already gotten a lot of support, the platform’s economic report says: By 2020, farmers sold more than €18 million of goods directly to end consumers.