REVERENCING THE EARTH
By
Donald Sutherland
Living
life with an ethical lens
Recently I had the privilege
of meeting Erin Crampton, owner-manager of Crampton’s Farm Produce
Market in Winnipeg. Her range of available products includes vegetables,
meats, fruit, cheese, and dry goods (soups, jams, pancake mixes) —
all supplied by family farms within 100 miles. A dietician conducts
seminars six times each summer. Close by is a small, neat and inviting
respite boasting a wide range of ice cream choices.
After a few moments of conversation
with Erin it was evident that her life is guided by an unwavering grip
on an ethical compass that points to fair trade for local producers.
Erin brought her lens into focus some 10 years ago. Time has continued
to confirm the validity, integrity and rightness of her vision. Her
concept is that the prevalent economic model — huge farms, 16,000-cow
dairies — crushes small farmers everywhere in the world and jeopardizes
food security for urban dwellers.
Prior to opening the door
to her business a decade ago, she interviewed a number of farmers, outlined
her criteria and selected those who met her production quality standards.
In addition to quality, she stressed the need for sustainability. By
sustainable she meant holding to a price all season that resulted in
a fair wage to the farmer and to his or her employees — not dumping
surplus production in mid-summer at fire-sale prices. Nearly all of
her potential buyers were, and still are, urban dwellers, often several
generations removed from the realities of farming. One of the realities
is that without full cost recovery, including an adequate wage, family
farm suppliers quietly sell their holdings, move to the city and accept
urban jobs with benefits such as eight-hour days and annual holidays
with pay.
Erin has spent countless
hours on her selling floor explaining to customers what it is that they
are actually buying. They are buying farm products that are fresh, tasty
and nutritious. In addition, they are supporting a rural landscape and
all that means in terms of family farms, small towns, schools and vibrant
communities. In Erin’s words, “I have noticed a huge turnaround
in customer attitude in the past four years. More and more people have
come to realize that their own food security will face ever more risk
if they fail to foster and grow local suppliers.”
Erin continues to develop
and maintain personal relationships with each of her 100 suppliers,
and to the extent possible, with her many customers. Her suppliers generally
specialize in one or two products. Their combined production ensures
depth, breadth and quality. Erin and her staff of 14 (nine full time
and five part time) are able to handle the current business volume and
still keep it personal with both suppliers and customers. Crampton’s
walks the talk by cultivating fair trade in all aspects of its business.
Sutherland is a professional agrologist who divides his time between Saskatoon and Winnipeg, and farms in west central Saskatchewan.
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