https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/08/02/22/18/barley-872000_1280.jpg There has been a growing demand for buying local food for years now, as more people look to support local farmers and producers in their area etc for a variety of different reasons. It might be because they want to have a better idea of where their food is coming from, maybe they believe they are purchasing higher quality products because they haven't traveled far etc, there are many reasons why someone might want to become more familiar with local growers and producers in their area. ## The market in the U.S. for [locally grown food has reportedly increased](https://www.businessinsider.com/the-demand-for-local-food-is-growing-2017-4) from roughly $5 billion back in 2008 to more than $12 billion in 2004, and it's estimated that it'll be worth more than $20 billion by 2019. If there is a growing demand for buying local however, why is it that some farmers are still struggling to tap into this need and make it work for their business? In Connecticut, one farmer there, Jess Stone, says that she has seen several farms close down all within a few weeks, all within close range, and she's wondering why. [Stone suggests that farmers might need to work harder in trying](http://www.wnpr.org/post/era-buy-local-movement-some-connecticut-farmers-still-struggling) to market their goods to consumers. Perhaps those farms would have seen better success if they had been more creative in trying to educate their community about what they had to offer, or worked more efficiently to try and get their products into their hands. https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/04/25/21/08/cabbage-1353192_1280.jpg Some farmers who have been looking to get creative in meeting this need for feeding those in their community, have turned to technology to help. There are now apps out there such as WildKale, and online markets like FarmMatch, Farmigo, and others, that help farmers to connect with consumers, which helps consumers to establish relationships directly with the growers. By doing this, purchasing directly from farmers, it means that *more money is going directly into the pocket of the farmers* and consumers are getting products fresh that are coming straight from harvest. This method of exchange also offers accountability because consumers can be comfortable in knowing exactly where their food is coming from. One previous survey that investigated this topic, which was conducted by Yellow Pages, sought to investigate Canadian consumer behaviors on the matter and they discovered that while many Canadians report that they are interested in buying local, that isn't where their money ends up going. They are still [choosing overwhelmingly to spend their money](http://marketingmag.ca/consumer/canadians-value-local-shops-but-spend-money-at-large-retailers-184139/) at large retailers. Could this be the same situation for U.S. shoppers? Might there be a few people out there who are interested in supporting local farmers but they don't know what that looks like, exactly? Growers in the region need the community to *be aware of what they have to offer*, before they will go looking to make an exchange for it. Thankfully, today there are a variety of different ways that they can go about doing that. Pics: Pixabay https://steemitimages.com/DQmaW48YhsgLS2fxaYkXCuon3tFpQEEh1tSUCU3jjJXv7RT/%40doitvoluntarily.gif ## Related Posts: ## [A New Tool That Might Help Farmers Save Their Crops](https://steemit.com/farming/@doitvoluntarily/a-new-tool-that-might-help-farmers-save-their-crops) ## [New Startup Enables Farmers To Sell Their Goods Direct To Consumers](https://steemit.com/food/@doitvoluntarily/new-startup-enables-farmers-to-sell-their-goods-direct-to-consumers)