Farmers Post: Getting Food from Farms to Families

WWF's Markets Institute proposes 'Farmers Post,' a system integrating a third-party web platform with the USPS to enable direct-to-consumer shipping of fresh produce. The initiative aims to increase revenue for small and minority farmers, reduce the 50% waste of fresh produce grown in the US, and expand access to nutritious food for low-income and food-insecure populations. The report outlines potential revenue for the USPS, identifies logistical hurdles such as temperature control and liability, and describes pilot programs with 4P Foods and Healthy PlanEat to test food hub and virtual models.

• The current US food system is inefficient, with farmers receiving only 7.8 cents of every dollar spent on fruits and vegetables, while up to 50% of fresh produce grown in the US is wasted.
• Direct-to-consumer sales are currently limited, with only about 8% of farms utilizing this model before the pandemic, and 67% of those farms being located in metropolitan counties.
• Farmers Post could provide a significant new revenue stream for the USPS, with estimates suggesting $1.5 billion in revenues at 2-3% market penetration and up to $6 billion at 10% penetration.
• Significant barriers to implementation include the lack of temperature-controlled USPS vehicles, which requires produce to withstand various temperatures for 12-48 hours, and unresolved liability issues regarding food safety and quality.
• The program aims to address food insecurity for the 53.6 million low-income people in the US who struggle to access fresh food, particularly in minority and urban communities.
• WWF suggests a third-party web platform to manage orders and payments, rather than USPS vertical integration, to allow the postal service to focus on logistics while the partner handles marketing and farmer support.
• Two pilot models are being tested: a 'food hub' model via 4P Foods in Virginia, Maryland, and DC, and a 'virtual food hub' model via Healthy PlanEat in Connecticut and New York.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Farmers Post: Getting Food from Farms to Families. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/536/93i5am2erc_KURNIK_FARMERS_POST_05_22_v2.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Farmers Post: Getting Food from Farms to Families. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/536/93i5am2erc_KURNIK_FARMERS_POST_05_22_v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Farmers Post: Getting Food from Farms to Families |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/536/93i5am2erc_KURNIK_FARMERS_POST_05_22_v2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndfarmers, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Farmers Post: Getting Food from Farms to Families}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/536/93i5am2erc_KURNIK_FARMERS_POST_05_22_v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }