The city’s daily paper, the Post-Intelligencer, asked the question, thoughtfully discussed it, and drew some intelligent responses from readers – along with the usual smattering that such newspaper articles bring of potshots at the self righteous, tree-hugging arugula eaters who are believed by farmers market haters to frequent the uppity street fests.
There has been an “explosion” of farmers markets in Seattle recently, the paper reported, bringing the total to 19 in the city and 39 in Kings County. The problem, as we have seen in other states including California and Minnesota, is that new markets cannibalize from older ones, and farmers get run ragged scurrying around marketing all week when they need to be doing some farming. Even more troubling, if there aren’t enough real farmers to serve numerous markets in a city, the temptation, as has been seen in Massachusets and elsewhere, is to fill market stalls with imposters who are reselling produce. That would defeat the purpose of starting new “farmers markets,” wouldn’t it? It would also undermine consumer confidence in the whole concept of buying presumably superior, fresh-picked, locally grown produce at the venues.
So, what’s to be done? First, stop thinking that the be all and end all of a farmers market is to breathe life into a moribund corner of town. Seattle's Office of Economic Development has apparently thought along this lines, and according to the PI, “sees farmers markets as necessary tools for developing vibrant commercial districts.” But the agency may be having second thoughts about that, and “has recently begun studying the issue of competition and viability.”
Another possible solution: give real local farmers much more say-so in how many markets a city needs, and when and where they should be held.
As for consumers who want to support local farms but can’t always mesh their schedules with the limited hours of a farmers market, how about some regular retail outlets that specialize in local produce? That’s what TheSherm proposed in a comment posted on the PI web site: “Perhaps what’s needed is a distribution network, and consumers who are willing to buy from distributors rather than always wanting to know, ‘Did you grow these carrots yourself?’ What’s unreasonable is to expect large growers from outside the city to set up, stock, and staff booths at dozens of ‘neighborhood’ markets simultaneously, all while providing low prices and a ‘know your farmer’ experience.”
Pennyws, on the other hand, could do without the whole scene: “I don't bother with the yuppie, hippie crowd at the farmers markets. There’s not much difference in price getting it there, versus Safeway and the atmosphere is a bit pretentious at times.”
And tomross piped in: “There are too few farms to support all the ‘trendy’ purchasers who want to brag how humane they are by going to Farmer’s Markets.”
Jqpublic seems to think that good people would be better off if the whole stinkin’ city slid off the continent into the Pacific Ocean, taking the farmers who catered to city dwellers with it: “The idiot farmers deserve not making money believing Seattle. Too bad,” that cynic sniffed.
Comments