Our American culture cultivates a belief that you want to make as much money as fast as possible.

…many farms that sell directly to consumers either at a farmers’ market, at a roadside stand, or to restaurants or schools, are barely covering their costs. “As a society, we have become accustomed to cheap food, and so we are more likely to pay $5 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks than to pay $5 for a pound of carrots,” Joannides says.

Large commodity farms have federal policies to help mitigate risk, she adds, but that is not the case with local food farmers. “To support the sort of robust food and farming system we wanted, we needed to make connections between those in need of financing with those who are interested in funding businesses that align with their values.”