Support Kent Farmers: 5 Reasons to Choose Kent Veg

Why do we only get our vegetables, and 99% of our other produce, from Kent Farmers?

There are many box schemes and other ways of sourcing veg, but we are unique in committing to only using Kent Farms.

Forget the supermarkets, who's only priority is to be as cheap as possible. Other box schemes, particularly the bigger companies like Riverford, Abel & Cole and Oddbox, all import veg from overseas all year; with Autumn and Winter seeing up to 60% of their box contents shipped in from mainland Europe & beyond.

Well there are several reason for doing this. 

When it comes to sourcing fresh, high-quality produce, supporting Kent farmers is not just a choice, but a responsibility. Kent, known as the Garden of England, boasts a rich agricultural heritage and a diverse range of crops. But why should we prioritise supporting Kent farmers over other options?

Boosting the Rural Economy

When you buy your veg from Kent Veg Box, you are investing directly in the Rural Economy.

You are not supporting overseas growers or London Head offices.

Steve has blogged about how research has quantified this effect, click on Laura to find out more

It shows that for every £10 you spend with local business (e.g. KVB) over £20 is generated for the Rural Economy.

By contrast evidence shows that spending £10 with a bigger business generates just £13 in the Rural Economy.  The effect of imports you see. Keep it Kent.

Reducing Food Miles

Choosing to buy from Kent farmers means reducing the distance that food travels from farm to table. This reduction in food miles not only decreases carbon emissions associated with transportation but also ensures that produce is fresher and more nutritious. Supporting local farmers promotes a more sustainable food system.

You'll see in our pictures we show how many food miles the product has travelled to get us. It's never more than 50.

Steve has blogged about why food miles are important, particularly with Fruit & Veg, and has analysed the latest research. Click the container ship to find out more.

Preserving Heritage

By supporting Kent farmers, you, via KVB, are contributing to the preservation of biodiversity. Kent farmers grow a wider variety of crops compared to large-scale industrial farms, helping to maintain a diverse ecosystem. This diversity is crucial for the health of the soil, pollinators, and overall environmental sustainability.

The varieties are chosen for taste, not size, shape or shelf-life. You might get a big cabbage one week, a small cauli the next. As our growers do not grade veg they don't reject the oddballs. This lowers food waste.

They also use a lot less expensive chemicals, if any, on their crops. This means you might get the odd traveller in your box, or the occasional fly-damaged carrot. It's a small price to pay for a healthy soil; just like your own back garden. 

Promoting Food Security

Supporting Kent farmers plays a crucial role in promoting food security.

By maintaining a strong network of local farms, communities can reduce their reliance on imported goods and ensure a more stable food supply.

 In times of crisis or disruptions, such as Covid, to global supply chains, local farmers provide a reliable source of fresh produce. When your supply chain is 50 miles not 1000 miles global issues pass you by.

Since KVB started in 2005, the number of Veg farmers in Kent had stayed small, and with the farmers getting older the writing was on the wall. 

In 2023 KVB started supporting new, young growers, like Laura above and Jack in the picture, to provide more choice and more security. 

Learn more about how this works by clicking on Jack

Eating Better - Vital Vitamins

All of the above lead to one place, better food for you and yours. 

All veg has a Nutritional Half-life. This means that, once cropped, the longer it takes to be eaten, the less nutrition there is available.

 In the case of spinach and Vitamin C, this half-life is days.

It is also true that the nutritional base for food has been falling since the 1950s as new strains and varieties were developed for the mass market.

These developments focussed on yield and shelf life, not taste and nutritional content. Everyone knows about bland supermarket veg. 

As mentioned above, smaller famers choose their varieties focussed on the taste. These tend to be the older varieties that have not been 'managed' to give better profits to the supermarkets. Their nutritional value tend to better as well, and as they do not spend days or weeks in transit there's less degradation.

 Click on the tasty carrots for more info.

Why We do What We Do!

As you can see there are several, inter-connected, reasons for our commitment to Kent Farmers & Producers.

It is :

• Better For The Rural Economy
• Better For The Environment
• Better For Your Health
  

Join our Mission today.