Despite the wide range of products in supermarkets and numerous markets, other forms of distribution exist in parallel, the main feature of which is very direct, even personal communication between the supplier and the consumer.
Also called, "Direct Buying" is a movement that works as small self-organizing communities of buyers, where people with similar values and lifestyles come together. It is characteristic of them to engage in various care practices (practices of care), and they are based on the principle of voluntarism, friendship and the desire to support organic farming. (1)
“Significantly, these practices also implement concern for the environment and other forms of life, just as illustrating the current discussion of our ethical and political obligations in the context of concern to think more widely about humanity and its needs. (2)”
However, farmers themselves - especially small farms - have long been looking for alternative ways to sell their produce, because even the traditional market turns out to be too expensive and time-consuming form of trading for many. Therefore, selling products directly from vans and car trunks, as well as delivering to apartment doors, is quite popular. These impromptu transactions take place both at regular times, at the order of buyers, and also at certain periods, for example, after harvest. Especially grateful for this purpose is the construction typology of micro-districts, where buildings with many potential buyers are located around wide and transparent courtyards.
Bankovska, A. (2020). Patchworks of care: ethics and practice of care in the organic food movement in Latvia. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
Puig de la Bellacasa, M. (2017). Matters of Care: Speculative Ethics in More than Human Worlds, vol.41. University of Minnesota Press
Interview with Zane Ruņģena, Tieša Pirkšana. 22-03-2018.