Farmers’ Markets Grow,
Adapt to Changing
Consumer Needs
publishing the National Directory of Farmers’ Markets,
with up-to-date information about locations, dates and
hours of operation, websites and methods of payment
accepted.
Robert Giblin
Farmers’ markets are now also reaching some of the
nation’s most distressed consumers. Once criticized for
catering largely to more lucrative consumers, farmers’
markets are now being established in “food deserts”—
areas where affordable, nutritious food is difficult to
obtain.
Growth in the number of farmers’ markets continued
last year, and the markets are adapting to new locations
and innovative formats to meet consumer needs.
According to USDA, there were 8,144 farmers’ markets
in 2013, an increase of 3.6 percent from 2012. The rapid
growth can be attributed to several factors, including
consumer perceptions about superior freshness and
quality; the ability to learn about farming practices; and
a desire to support local businesses and farmers. An
analysis released in 2013 by A.T. Kearney, Buying Into
the Local Food Movement, showed that consumers
trusted farmers’ markets more than any other types of
grocery venues to deliver local food.
Growth in the number of farmers’ markets is slowing,
compared with the explosive increases of 10 percent
in 2011 and 17 percent in 2012. In some areas, the
number of farmers’ markets has reached a saturation
point. In others, there were too few vendors to sustain
the market. Yet, an increasing array of farmers’ market
concepts are bringing farmers and consumers together
in new ways.
Popular in many countries with hot climates, nighttime farmers’ markets are gaining a foothold in many
large urban areas. In 2012, a “Pop-Up Greenmarket”
in an empty lot in Harlem became the first night-time
farmers’ market in New York City. In other cities,
night-time farmers’ markets allow consumers to buy
farm-fresh products after a busy day at work. They have
become popular gathering places for food, socializing,
entertainment and even romance.
Farmers’ markets are also serving both corporate and
factory workers. Smaller-scale, roving markets are set up
for short periods of time in office building lobbies and
factory parking lots, so busy, time-stressed workers can
take shop during breaks, lunch periods and work hours.
Farmers’ markets are now being featured, rated and
evaluated as tourist destinations, with “top 10” lists and
travel recommendations in numerous national magazines,
newspapers and travel sites. In 1994, USDA began
And thousands of markets accept Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known
as food stamps. By providing the point-of-sale equipment
needed to process payments from the Electronic Benefits
Transfer Cards used by SNAP recipients and beneficiaries
of other programs—like the Women, Infants and Children
program—USDA is fostering access to fresher foods.
Early studies indicate that the ability to use EBT cards
and other incentives are starting to improve healthy eating
habits of SNAP recipients.
Adapting to meet diverse consumer needs and to serve
those who previously lacked access to farmers’ markets is
starting to pay off, and not just for farmers.
USDA estimated that farmers’ market sales exceeded
$1 billion in 2005, and some industry experts believe
sales approached $7 billion last year. In a report issued
in 2012, The Economic Impact of Farmers Markets:
A Study of 9 Markets in 3 Major U.S. Cities, Market
Umbrella—a nonprofit organization devoted to
cultivating public markets, showed that famers’ markets
generate significant economic benefits for vendors,
host neighborhoods and surrounding communities.
In the studied cities, impact on vendors ranged from
$52,000 to $40.5 million per market; impact on nearby
businesses was $19,900 to $15.7 million; and on
communities, $72,000 to $56.3 million.
Along with the economic impact, farmers’ markets
offer a rare opportunity for agriculture and consumers
to connect in-person. It’s a chance to entice and educate
consumers about where their food comes from and how it
is raised or grown. Almost no other shopping experience
brings consumers and agriculture together to build trust
by meeting face to face.
Robert Giblin consults, writes and speaks about agriculture and
food industry issues and trends.
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 25