Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The number of farmers' markets in the United States began to decline in the 1920s with
the advent of the modern supermarket. By the 1970s, the number of farmers' markets reached
its nadir, with fewer than one hundred still operating. Although the number of farmers' mar-
kets plunged, especially after World War II, they never totally disappeared. Like an old idea
whose time had come again, farmers' markets began what has become a rather remarkable
rebound. 8 The most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show over three
thousand farmers' markets in 2002. In New York City alone, farmers' markets operate in
twenty-eight different locations.
Farmers' markets offer a convenient outlet for producers who cannot or will not develop
linkages to the mass market. They also fill an important niche for consumers who value qual-
ity, freshness, and variety over quantity and uniformity in the food they purchase. Most farm-
ers' market vendors pride themselves on selling varieties of fruits and vegetables that cannot
be found in the typical mass-market grocery store.
While health- and food-conscious consumers are purchasing more fresh fruits and veget-
ables than ever from farmers' markets, local government officials see farmers' markets as en-
gines of economic and community development. In a survey of 115 farmers' market vendors,
we found that farmers' markets provide a venue for three groups of producers. First, for some
traditional full-time farmers, farmers' markets can provide a steady source of income. Over
the past several decades, the number of marketing alternatives in the processing sector has
diminished considerably. The number of small-scale food processors, those most likely to
articulate with small farmers, has decreased almost everywhere. For small-scale producers,
farmers' markets may represent an economic lifeline. 9
Part-time growers and market gardeners represent another segment of the agricultural
community who benefit from farmers' markets. Farmers' markets allow these producers to
sell their products directly to the consumer and can supplement other marketing outlets such
as roadside stands, direct-mail marketing, and U-pick operations.
In addition to agricultural producers, farmers' markets serve as outlets for local artisans,
craftspeople, and other entrepreneurs. Farmers' markets are low-overhead outlets for handi-
crafts as well as homemade and farm-based manufactured products. For some entrepreneurs,
selling at a farmers' markets is the first step toward beginning a formal business. For others,
it is a low-risk way to supplement existing income streams. In either case, farmers' markets
serve as a bridge between households, as informally organized production units, and local/
community marketplaces. 10
As social institutions and social organizations, farmers' markets can be important compon-
ents of civic agriculture. As bridges between the formal and informal sectors of the economy,
they enable individual entrepreneurs and their families to contribute to the economic life of
their communities by providing goods and services that may not be readily available through
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