Why? Why Us? Why This?

We started a business just over a year ago, when supply chains were still a mess and people were still nervous about gathering in public spaces, like supermarkets. We’d spent a year helping people start their gardens and during that year, we looked for spaces in and around Greensboro to start an urban farm that could not only feed people, but would also teach them how to feed themselves and give them the space to do so. Land is expensive and land that’s good for growing is a whole other concern. Over time, we realized that a farm wasn’t the way we wanted to go, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was that our reach would be limited. That’s when we came up with the subscription box idea that became Dig. and it’s been great. We love what we do, but something was missing. One of the things that led to us opening Dig, was a concern over food security and food sovereignty. Dig. hasn’t really addressed those issues. We’ve tried to keep our subscriptions affordable, but “affordable” is a relative term, isn’t it? What’s affordable for one person can be completely out of reach for another. 

Under-resourced and neglected communities are at higher risk of diet-related illness and chronic disease. We’ve all heard the statistics; hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc., etc.  One of the greatest factors contributing to these poor health outcomes is quite simply, access. Under-resourced communities rarely have access to quality, affordable, nutrient dense food which leads to food insecurity or not having enough of the right foods to sustain health. Our primary goal is to change that. We believe that growing your own food, whether that looks like a full on garden or growing lettuce in few pots on your porch, or on a windowsill, not only means you’re eating and eating quality food, but it means you have control over that food. No one can deny you or take it away. It’s yours from seed to plate. If you have seeds, soil, and sunlight, you can have food. Having control over the quality, quantity, and availability of your food is called food sovereignty.  Our wish is for all communities to be food secure and to have sovereignty, control over their food supply. We believe this is achievable, at least to some extent, by growing your own food. At the very least, growing some of your food can save money and supplement your grocery shopping in a way that supports positive health outcomes.

So back to the title questions. Why? Because there is a need. Why us? Why not us; we have the passion and knowledge necessary to make a difference. Why this? Growing your own food is a skill that is disappearing, particularly among communities of color. It’s an important and valuable skill that we absolutely must hold on to and pass down. In a nutshell, that’s us, Scattered Seeds. Nice to meet you.