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What is Crowberry? An online farmers market in the making. Right now, we are in the process of networking, funding, and building the website. Once Crowberry is up and running, it will give everyone a chance to buy from their local farmers, growers, and producers, ultimately strengthening the direct farmer-consumer relationship. Each seller will have his own page, complete with photos, descriptions, and a catalog featuring their freshly grown/made products. There will also be a map to help the customers locate farms near them. Our biggest goal is to make the website as user-friendly as possible, because we believe that buying local food online should be as easy as pie! Not only will Crowberry be a place to find local food, our forums will have recipe ideas/exchanges, agricultural news, and many different ways to help farmers and consumers get to know each other. No one will have to pay a cent to sign up. It will be completely free for everyone, sellers and consumers alike. However, farmers, growers, and producers will have to submit an application before becoming a seller. The screening process helps us ensure that the products being sold on our website are safe and of high quality. We aim to encourage the sellers to make their products affordable. Since transporting food to the local farmers market and reserving a booth costs hundreds of dollars per day, farmers/growers/producers have no choice but to jack up their prices. By selling online, they will save a lot of money on gas and booth fees. We can't guarantee that the products being sold on this website will be substantially cheaper than what you'd find at your grocery store or farmers market, but we will try our best to make it happen. We promise! Who would benefit from an online farmers market? Basically, everyone. More than 24 million Americans don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. That's three times the entire population of New York City! Because they live in food deserts -- areas where nutritious meals are not readily available -- these 24+ million Americans fuel themselves with processed food and high-calorie junk food from corner shops and poorly-stocked grocery stores. This results in a slew of health problems. Health-conscious individuals who live in food deserts have to drive more than 10 miles each way in order to obtain fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products. Those who want to eat organic food have to travel even farther, or, even worse, involuntarily give up on organic products altogether. Even people who live close to well-stocked grocery stores would find a lot of use in purchasing their food from local farmers online. Examples include: Elderly or disabled people with mobility difficulties People without proper means of transportation Parents of young children who like to run amok in grocery stores People with hectic schedules Budget-conscious individuals who aren't too keen on shelling out big bucks on gas People who just want to support their local farmers What about actual farmers markets? We love them. We find the whole experience of checking out each booth, talking to farmers face-to-face, and just being surrounded by like-minded people to be exhilarating. We would love to contribute to their growth any way we can. Crowberry will have a feature that allows you to purchase from a farmer/grower/producer online then pick up your order at the seller's booth at the farmers market. That way, you don't have to scrape together cash before every visit and worry about being a dollar short when you come across a product you like or need. You can do all your shopping online, zip to the farmers market, and pick up your order without having to bring your wallet with you. Easy! So, who is behind all this? Me, Chiara Fucarino. I'm a 26-year-old woman who just wants to make good, wholesome food easily accessible to everyone. I adamantly support the Slow Food Movement, and I aim to contribute to it by creating a cutting-edge, user-friendly online farmers market. You are more than welcome to contact me at chiara@crowberry.org with questions, feedback, or just a simple "hello"!