Farmers' Market Economics
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-10-03/farmers-market-economics
Weekly farmers' markets were once confined to the wealthier neighborhoods of the Washington area. But today local farmers are plying their wares in long-neglected suburban strip malls and urban "food deserts," thanks to help from nonprofits and government grants. As the season for fresh local produce winds down, we peruse the growing number of farmers' markets across the region and examine the economics of bringing food from field to fork.
Guests
Dan Charles
Food and Agriculture correspondent, NPR
Gus Schumacher
Vice President of Policy, Wholesome Wave Foundation; Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ( 1997-2001)
John Gloster
President, Ward 8 Farmer's Market Cooperative
Robert Schubert
Executive Director, Columbia Heights Community Marketplace
Comments
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I look forward to the Show today as i have been trying to shop Farmers' Markets for the last 15 years. The city of Baltimore has a great selection of accessible markets, but the ones in the DC area are generally less accessible or at very inconvenient times. Thankfully, College Park has a Sunday morning market that I have enjoyed all summer.
Question: How does economics play into when (and where) the markets are located?
Kimberly
Beltsville, MD
I only heard a small part of the show towards the end but it sounded very interesting. I would like to make one point though. We go to the farmer's market to buy the bulk of our groceries.... not to socialize, for the atmosphere etc. ...though I am certainly not knocking those aspects. It IS definitely less convenient and when it rains or during the winter when we have a much longer drive to a winter market, even more so. It IS the best place for us to buy local organic grassfed/pastured meat and eggs, local organic veggies, fruits etc. which is a priority for us, along with supporting local farmers. I am also a bit surprised at how few organic farms there are at some of the markets.