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Books & Resources for Sustainable Living |
Grocery impactKen Meyer, produce buyer for three Alfalfa’s Markets in Colorado, says his chain has been a loyal customer to many of the growers doing business in the open-air market. "The markets get people excited about organics, and having them just down the street does mean some cross-over business." "Farmers' markets probably affect grocery stores to the tune of less than one percent of their produce sales," says Jim Anderson of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. "Our markets - 55 statewide, most in rural communities - are only open between two and six days a week, six months a year, and they don't seem to have any impact on the grocery store's produce section." For many years the family-owned Williams Brothers supermarkets in San Luis Obispo County, CA, allowed farmers’ markets in their parking lots. It gave them a leg over their competitors and showed their support for local farmers. "We’re about a block from Alfalfa’s Market and they were concerned about competition. Now 13 years later, they discovered produce sales went up 30% on Saturday when we were open."- John Ellis, Boulder FM, CO Improved identity"According to Richard McCarthy, executive director of the Economics Institute, "The Market makes downtown safer because there are people on the street. It changes the feel of the neighborhood from that of a cold, impersonal urban environment to that of a community. Even vendors who once moved away from New Orleans now have a completely different experience of the city when they come to town for Market."- Economics Institute, 1999 Report to the Community "Downtown businesses have also benefited from the Market’s presence on Saturday mornings-which, otherwise, is not a busy time of the week for most of them. The AB Freeman study estimated that downtown businesses gain additional income of $450,000 a year as a result of the Market, and a 30%-70% increase in Saturday-morning traffic as a result of the Market." - Economics Institute, 1999 Report to the Community Access"Ironically, farmers' need for more and diverse markets occurs at a time when supermarket relocation to the suburbs has left many Philadelphians underserved. Inner city residents in particular have little choice but to rely on convenience stores that provide very limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The diets of lower-income residents offer poor nutrition, affecting the health and well being of individuals and their communities. Establishing farmers’ markets in these low-income communities can serve the dual objectives of increased access to fresh produce for city residents and improved farm profitability."- Barriers & Opportunities for Direct Marketing, Farmers’ Market Trust, 1999. The impetus for farmers’ markets in southern California came from the Interfaith Hunger Coalition of the Southern California Ecumenical Council. Concerned about supermarket flight and inner-city residents’ access to fresh produce at reasonable prices, they spearheaded a three-year, seven-market development program which exceeded its goals. Donna Bryan vocalized similar concerns through Seeds of Hope when starting numerous markets in South Carolina. The faith community has been critical in developing countless markets by providing church lots as market locations, giving financial support and leading many organizing efforts. Local food and greenspaceLindsey Ketchel, horticultural marketing specialist with the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets, reported on a recent department study of Vermont consumers. More than 60 percent were interested in buying local products and said they’d spend up to 10 percent more just to support local family farms. "Consumers are looking for ways to support the local greenspace," Ketchel said. "At the same time, it’s a challenge for consumers is to find local products. They can’t go to a Grand Union supermarket and find local produce. Farmers’ markets are not just about buying food," she continued. "They bring farmers and consumers together in a community way. It’s all about celebrating food grown in our own regions." "From an ecological standpoint, shopping at farmers’ markets helps support the greenbelt by enabling local farmers to become economically sustainable. It supports locally-based food production and distribution, thus reducing energy consumed on transportation. It also reduces solid wastes, by eliminating over-packaging of foods and supports environmentally sound and sustainable farming practices because family farmers tend to use fewer synthetic chemicals."- Lynn Bagley, with the Golden Gate FM Assoc. in Novato, CA, quoted in To Market! To Market! University of Mass. Cooperative Extension System "When you shop at a supermarket only 21% of every dollar spent goes toward actual food production whereas at the market more than four times that goes back to the growers." -Ann Harvey Yonkers, Mgr., FRESHFARM Market, Washington, DC © New World Publishing. All Rights Reserved, except with written permission from New World Publishing; 11543 Quartz Dr. #1, Auburn CA 95602. Source: www.nwpub.net For a PDF version of this article: Click here.
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