We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dana DiPrima. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Dana, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
No one likes it. No one likes to work hard, show up day after day, and feel unseen. Whether you’re a parent keeping everything running at home, a teacher showing up for your students, a line worker, a trucker, an accountant, or a nurse, it’s human to want to feel that your effort matters. But in a world that rewards noise over substance, quiet consistency often goes unnoticed.
That’s the same invisibility small farmers face every day. They’re growing our food, nurturing the land, feeding our families, and yet most people have no idea who they are or what it takes to do what they do. The work is relentless, and the recognition is rare.
When I started the For Farmers Movement, it was to change that—to make these farmers visible again. But what I’ve learned is that their invisibility is a mirror for all of ours. We all want to be seen for what we contribute, to feel that our work—our effort—means something. And maybe when we start seeing our farmers, we’ll also start seeing one another more clearly, too.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dana DiPrima, founder of the For Farmers Movement and host of the podcast One Bite is Everything.
For Farmers is a national movement that connects eaters to the small and midsize farmers who feed us, and helps those farmers stay in business through powerful micro-grants, storytelling, and community action. Since launching, we’ve funded more than 190 grants in 46 states (now adding 100+ each year), each one a small but mighty infusion of $500–$1,000 that helps hardworking farmers recover from weather disasters, replace broken equipment, or expand their operations.
What makes For Farmers unique is that it’s powered by people, not corporations or complicated government programs. A single dollar from one person joins a million others in a kind of grassroots alchemy that keeps local farms alive. It’s proof that everyday people can create real change, one small act at a time.
Alongside the movement, I host One Bite is Everything, a weekly podcast (in the top 3% globally) that connects every bite you take to the bigger world: your health, community, environment, and economy. Through candid conversations with thought leaders and lived-experience experts like farmers and others, we uncover how food touches everything and how each of us has the power to shape the system through the choices we make.
At the heart of it all, my work is about connection and helping people see what’s been hidden in plain sight: the farmers, the food system, and the possibility that when we care a little more about where our food comes from, we can change everything.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
It happened in a barn.
I was standing with a farmer who had just lost most of her crop to flooding. She wasn’t complaining. She wasn’t asking for help. She was just trying to figure out how to keep going. That moment changed everything for me.
It struck me how little safety net there is for the people who feed us. Farmers can do everything right and still be one storm away from losing everything. Yet when that happens, most of us never hear about it. Their struggle happens quietly, out of sight, while the rest of the world keeps moving.
That day made me realize that invisibility isn’t just sad. It’s dangerous. Because when farmers disappear, so does our food security, our rural communities, and a piece of our culture. I knew then that I couldn’t keep looking away. I had to build something that helped our small farmers be seen, supported, and valued.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
More than once.
Building a movement from the ground up is next to impossible. In the early days of For Farmers, I used to say, only half-jokingly, that I would quit every Tuesday and Thursday. It felt like I had the entire movement on my back, dragging it forward inch by inch. There was no roadmap, no big funding source, no team at the start. Just a belief that small farmers deserved better, and that people would care if they knew the truth.
There were days when the work felt endless. I was telling stories, running grants, managing logistics, building partnerships, and doing outreach all at once. It was heavy. But little by little, the Movement started to find its own legs. People began nominating farmers on their own. Donations came in from all over the country. Now we receive farmer nominations for grants from all 50 states, almost automatically.
The hardest part was pushing through those early years when it was all grit and faith. The best part is watching it hum along now, powered by the same people who once didn’t know it existed.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Many smart people still believe that industrial agriculture is the only way to feed the world. They point to scale, technology, and efficiency, and assume that bigger automatically means better. But that view ignores a critical truth. Small and midsize farmers are already feeding most of the world’s communities, not the mega-operations.
The problem isn’t that we need to grow more food. The problem is where that food goes, who controls it, and how it’s produced. Industrial agriculture feeds supply chains. Small farmers feed people. They keep local economies alive, steward the land, and create resilience in a time when our food system is fragile.
If we lose small farmers, we lose more than variety and flavor. We lose self-reliance, security, and connection. The smartest people in the room should be asking how to strengthen local and regional food systems, not how to further consolidate them. Because without small farmers, none of us will thrive for long.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
That food is never just food.
Every bite connects to something bigger: our health, our environment, our communities, and our economy. Most people think about food in terms of taste, cost, or convenience. But behind every meal is a farmer, a field, a system of policies, and a chain of choices that ripple outward.
When you start to really see that connection, everything changes. You begin to understand that supporting small farmers isn’t charity. It’s an investment in you and your community. It’s how we keep our land healthy, our economies strong, and our food supply stable.
I’ve come to see that the most powerful solutions start small. A dollar given. A local purchase made. A story shared. Each one is a thread that pulls the system in a better direction. And when enough people tug on that thread, the whole thing moves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.forfarmersmovement.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xoxofarmgirl
- Other: https://www.onebiteiseverything.com
Image Credits
Photographs by Jeanne Sager Photography
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