Accessible Farmer's Markets
VALUE: VIBRANT FARMS
Value-Based Practice:Develop policies that encourage success in small and midscale farming ventures and urban agriculture; decrease exposure to hazards; and support fair labor practices.
First Step: ENCOURAGE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE FARMERS’ MARKETS
Create zoning definitions and operating standards for farmers’ markets.
Needs & Opportunities:
Farmers’ markets are a form of “direct marketing” where producers sell directly to consumers, reducing the food markup from distributors and retailers, and creating connections between the people who grow food and those who eat it. Farmers’ markets contribute to a healthy, sustainable food system by supporting those farms that employ sustainable and organic farming practices, grow regional and cultural specialties, minimize energy use in transportation and storage, and re-circulate dollars directly back into the local and regional economy[i].
However, farmers’ markets in Oakland are not currently protected or encouraged in the City’s zoning code. In order to 1) protect existing farmers' markets and remove barriers for establishing new ones; 2) optimize their location for maximum community benefit, and 3) increase access, especially for low-income and underserved residents, Oakland should adopt zoning regulations that incentivize the development of new farmers’ markets, emphasizing development in areas that lack access to healthy food. All farmers’ markets should accept payment from federal, state, and local nutrition assistance programs to increase access and affordability for all customers.
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Action Suggested: City of Oakland: Protect and expand farmers’ markets, especially in low-income neighborhoods by adopting new zoning definitions and operating standards; require farmers’ markets to accept EBT payments. Regional/State Governments:Connect rural farmers to urban markets, through extension programs and other strategies. Community Members: Organize community support for farmers’ markets; communicate the community’s support to the City; conduct a market survey and use data to attract farmers. Public-Private Partnerships: Public agencies should partner with private farms and seek out new opportunities for locating farmers’ markets in underserved areas. Private Sector: Seek opportunities to participate in farmers' markets in underserved areas. |
Fiscal Impact:
Farmers’ markets that accept nutrition assistance programs, such as EBT, WIC, and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) payments increase access to fresh produce for low-income households, and result in most participants spending their own money for additional produce.Local businesses also benefit from having farmers’ markets nearby. In a study of Bay Area farmers’ markets, 62 percent of shoppers spent additional money at local businesses during farmers’ market trips[ii].
Best Practices & Further Information:
Public Health Law & Policy has compiled examples of existing farmers’ market policies and a model zoning ordinance.
[i]Brown, C. & Miller, S. The Impacts of Local Markets: A Review of Research on Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2008. 90: 1296-1302
[ii]Two-Year Study Explores Advertising Impacts and Reveals Buying Habits of Farmers’ Market Shoppers. Market Thymes.2009. http://www.pcfma.com/pdf/FMPP2009.pdf
