Big Think: Farmworkers Should Own Part of the Farm

"Good food is not just for yuppies," says Jim Cochran, founder of Swanton Berry Farm just north of Santa Cruz. We talked to him as part of our "Big Think" series, where we ask innovative Californians to share their big ideas in 10 words or less. Cochran's philosophy is that workers should own a stake in the business and labor under good working conditions to produce healthy, delicious food. He wants to extend that vision to food systems in entire communities, and he's starting in Fresno. Cochran is planning a storefront to sell local products like jam and veggies in a low-income neighborhood. The idea is to have workers and community members all be part owners, and the food would be priced somewhere between Whole Foods and the local mini-mart.