A Socially Responsible Food Future
Growers Unite is a project of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP), dedicated to empowering contract growers.Why We exist
Small farmers are being exploited every day by corporate giants who control the industrial farming system. These corporations control multiple stages of the production process and have largely unchecked power, which allows them to:
- manipulate the marketplace;
- trap farmers in exploitative contracts;
- push down the prices paid to farmers and ranchers; and
- drive independent producers out of business.
Growers Unite directly challenges that power imbalance by connecting growers with the resources and community support they need to push back against the contract grower industry. We’re led by former contract growers, folks who’ve been in the system and come out the other side with a strong desire to support fellow growers and build a powerful community.
Our goal is in our name; we want to unite growers across the country and build back power for small, family farmers. By offering resources, community, and support, we hope to empower potential and existing contract growers to stay in control of their homes, farms, and their livelihoods.
History
Growers Unite was born out of the Contract Grower Transition Program at Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP).
Our Partnership with SRAP
Through education, advocacy, and organizing, SRAP collaborates with communities to protect public health, environmental quality, and local economies from the damaging impacts of industrial livestock production and to advocate for a socially responsible food future.
Growers Unite is an extension of SRAP’s Contract Growers Transition program. The team is made up of former contract growers, folks who navigated the system with support from SRAP and other advocacy groups, and successfully transitioned out of the contract model. At Growers Unite, the team uses its collective expertise to assist other farmers in reclaiming their independence.