Farmers Markets: Leveraging systems to build healthy sustainable communities

Farmers markets have many different models but tend to be regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally-grown farm products directly to consumers. The farmers market system interconnects many systems, catalyzing local community, citizen, and agricultural systems in a shared public space, generating social capital and thus the ability to address social problems. A cornerstone in building local and regional food systems, farmers markets provide an excellent entry point into farming for local, small-scale growers. The addition of market to a community may strengthen local economies, foster small business growth and benefit tourism. Direct farm to consumer and value-added product sales for small- to medium-size producers at farmers markets strengthen farm economic viability, in turn, preserving semi-urban and rural farmland and reducing the distance from farm to fork. For the consumer, farmers markets are a source for fresh, nutritious, and often sustainably produced food provided in an environment where cultural exchange and education is taking place. Also, by expanding the acceptance of SNAP/EBT and WIC vouchers, farmers markets can be made more accessible to underserved populations.