Local Farming

As a scientist who studies atmospheric composition, climate change, and the impact of agricultural practices on nature areas, it is sometimes difficult to take action in response to the alarming signals we see in our research. If I stop visiting trans-continental conferences, does that make a real difference? Should I switch to a vegan diet? I am sure many scientists recognise these dilemmas.
One of the best things that happened the last years is that I joined an agricultural initiative called Herenboeren (https://herenboeren.nl/nieuws/). The idea is that about 500 people run a farm together, hire a farmer, and produce sustainable food. Everybody pays a weekly fee of about 20 Euro and in return you receive fresh vegetables (and optional meat) on a weekly basis. We assist the farmer by helping with the harvest, feed the pigs, and to maintain the farm. Many interesting side-activities are taking place, like producing solar energy, and day-care for Alzheimer patience. Will this change the world? Maybe not, but at least the activities I join make me realise how nature brings vegetables and fruit. On the picture you see the team that distributes the harvest of the day before!