Farmers' Markets good for the economy

Neighbours of mine once planned a visit to France so they could visit a different village market every day. When they told me about their planned trip, I was envious. I adore visiting new markets.

Markets are usually outdoor adventures and most often farmers' markets feature locally grown, fresh produce. It’s picked at the peak of flavour and nutrition and doesn't travel far wasting fossil fuels.

In Europe, a weekly market day is a centuries-old tradition in villages and town squares. Cities tend to boast covered marketplaces, like the Saint John City Market circa. 1876. It has a memorable slanted floor and a roof that resembles the inverted keel of a ship.

Another favourite market I've visited is in St. Jacobs, Ont. It boasts over 600 vendors near a vibrant agricultural region that features Old Order Mennonites who ride to market by horse and buggy. The Atwater Market in Montreal and the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto are meccas too for foodies.

Interest in these marketplaces that purvey without the corporate middleman is growing across North America as the public increases its understanding of the need to maintain sustainable farms on the edge of urban environments.

In Ontario, where the number of farmers' markets has grown from 60 in the 1980s to twice that number today, shopping malls are losing some of their allure. The resurgence, according to Farmers' Markets Ontario, is because markets are good for the economy. For every dollar spent at a market, another two dollars ripples through that province's economy. In Ontario, sales at farmers markets total almost $600 million.



Other businesses benefit, too

The Ontario agency says that for every one person observable working at a market, another two are busy on the family farm. They have even started a certification process to guarantee that you buy your strawberries from the person who grew them.

Studies show that 60-70 per cent of market-goers visit neighbouring businesses on their way to or from the market. The low overhead at a market allows budding young entrepreneurs and old alike to start their own concerns. Often they grow into storefronts of their own.

The city of Vancouver has four outdoor seasonal markets that go from June into October and one indoor winter market. They all run counter to the premise that food has to be imported while local farmers struggle to survive.

Buying local and eating seasonally has certainly caught on in Wolfville. The glorious outdoor season is running down, but the market has proved it can buzz year-round on a Saturday morning. It’s a genuine meeting,as well as a purchasing place.

The first of five public consults was held last week to examine the possibility of a year-round farmers' market in the town. This is uncharted territory. I hope we don't cramp the spirit of the market as they have in Tatamagouche or fill in a green space for use on a single day of the week.

As market manager Kelly Marie Redcliffe has noted, the farmers' market is an entity cherished by the community, so public input truly is needed and valued by the town and the vendors.