By Yasmina Zaidman
A Polish woman in her fifties, a farmer, walks into the office of Symbio – a distributor that purchases fruit from her farm. Though it's a busy weekday afternoon, she's not there on business.
She has come to thank Tokya Dammond, the founder and chair of the company, for giving her the opportunity to return to farming after an increasingly competitive market forced her to retire early. She now grows organic raspberries for export, a lucrative and environmentally restorative enterprise for her and her family.
Her gratitude stems from the fact that she has been able to regain her sense of pride and identity. But she has in fact become part of a powerful new trend in which innovative businesses are becoming the engine for social and environmental change.
Such enterprises are starting to put economic growth in sync with environmental protection and the preservation of communities.
