National Farmers Market Coalition Launched!

November 2007
Recently Full Circle farmer Andrew Stout traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to attend the first-ever national Farmers Market Summit hosted by the USDA, a new organization he helped to found.

Farmers markets in the US have experienced explosive growth in recent years. In 1994 there were 1,755 farmers markets. Today there are approximately 4,300 across the country. In 2005, farmers markets generated $1 billion in sales, creating a vitally important market for small and mid-size farmers to sell directly to customers.

The Coalition was formed to give a unified voice, support and coordination to the very decentralized farmers market movement that has sprung up "organically" across the country. Stretched beyond belief, many farmers markets operate solely with volunteer and part-time staff. Many lack the fiscal infrastructure to sustain themselves over the long haul. Moreover, they navigate through a patchwork of local, state, and federal policies that serve to undermine their growth. And yet, farmers markets continue to proliferate because farmers, consumers, and communities want more choices in their food system.

At the summit, attendees developed a priority list of issues and areas to be addressed including supporting policy changes ranging from zoning and securing permanent locations for markets to helping markets navigate and work to change regulations such as health department codes governing the selling of meats, cheese, fish and wine, to broadening low-income access to the fresh healthy food available at farmers markets.

Another issue that was the subject of much discussion at the meeting was the community-building aspect of farmers markets. Farmers markets bring all kinds of people together each week and in many ways have begun to serve as a community hub – like an old-time town square in some sense – a venue for art, education and discussion.

More info on the Farmers Market Coalition can be found at the Web site.

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