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Farmers’ markets
please their customers

Robert Sommer [J Margaret Wing

The farmers’ market is an old institution of 30,000 or more on a summer Saturday.
z being revived to fit new times. In the 19th  For its 36th anniversary, there were stroll-
century, most American cities had a public ing musicians, cooking and canning
market where farmers hauled their produce demonstrations, a beauty queen crowned
to sell directly to local residents. Such with a wreath of garlic by the Mayor, and a
markets still play an important rolein  ““farmer of the year’’ award for the oldest
developing nations. The American pub-  grower actively selling.
lic market reached its peak in the 19th Within the last decade, there has been a
century and declined swiftly after that resurgence of community markets within -
with the growth of cities and suburbs, the state and around the nation. In the last
improved food transportation, and in- 5 years, approximately 20 community out-
creased popularity of chain stores. lets have been established in California. In
Ten years ago Californiahad 1977 the California State Department of
only one public farmers’ market Food and Agriculture passed regulations
where small farmers camereg- permitting the establishment of certified
ularly to sell their crops di-  farmers’ markets, easing the standardiza-
rectly to the public. This was  tion requirements on direct-marketing
in San Francisco, whose growers, and ensuring that the person
market was established selling was the actual grower or a relative
in 1943. Today the or employee of the grower.
market draws crowds The new markets have been established ‘
primarily in central and northern Califor-
nia. Southern California has not shown
such a response, perhaps because distances
are so great. During the past summer, a |
market was opened in Gardena, which was ’
the only such outlet in the populous Los
Angeles Basin. Some farmers must travel |
75 to 200 miles to sell at the Gardena |
market. Certification regulations were \
changed in 1979, permitting one grower to
sell for up to two certified growers, so that
small farmers could consolidate loads and
save transportation and labor costs.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  

 

The survey

The Center for Consumer Research at
the University of California, Davis, has
been working with the Department of Food
and Agriculture to learn as much as pos-
sible about the farmers’ market resurgence
for the benefit of consumers, growers, and
the communities in which the markets were |
situated. The present study has focused on
finding out what motivates Californians to ‘
shop at farmers’ markets. In the summer
and fall of 1979 we interviewed 587 cus- |
tomers at 17 certified markets — all the
markets that were operating, except the
Eureka market. We chose 15 to 56 people
at each site, interviewing every available
customer at the smaller markets and every
fifth available customer at the larger
markets.

24
10 Al
CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE, APRIL 1980

     
 

G s
flely of produce *

~ Availability of organic pr
Other reasons
pies