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The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US

Author

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  • Phillip Warsaw

    (Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

  • Steven Archambault

    (Department of Agribusiness and Food Industry Management, Cal Poly Pomona University, Pomona, CA 91768, USA)

  • Arden He

    (Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

  • Stacy Miller

    (Good Phyte Foods, Charlottesville, VA 22902, USA)

Abstract

Farmers markets are regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers directly sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown farm products to consumers. Markets rebuild and maintain local and regional food systems, leading to an outsized impact on the food system relative to their share of produce sales. Previous research has demonstrated the multifaceted impacts that farmers markets have on the communities, particularly economically. Recent scholarship in the United States has expanded inquiry into social impacts that markets have on communities, including improving access to fresh food products and increasing awareness of the sustainable agricultural practices adopted by producers, as well developing tools for producers and market stakeholders to measure their impact on both producers and communities. This paper reviews the recent scholarship on farmers markets to identify recent trends and synthesizes the current evidence describing the ways in which farmers markets contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, as well as identifying areas for additional future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Phillip Warsaw & Steven Archambault & Arden He & Stacy Miller, 2021. "The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3423-:d:520475
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Alia DeLong & Marilyn E. Swisher & Carlene A. Chase & Tracy Irani & Jorge Ruiz-Menjivar, 2023. "The Roots of First-Generation Farmers: The Role of Inspiration in Starting an Organic Farm," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Jordana Fuchs-Chesney & Subhashni Raj & Tishtar Daruwalla & Catherine Brinkley, 2023. "All roads lead to the farmers market?: using network analysis to measure the orientation and central actors in a community food system through a case comparison of Yolo and Sacramento County, Californ," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 157-173, March.
    5. Richael Connolly & Joe Bogue & Lana Repar, 2022. "Farmers’ Markets as Resilient Alternative Market Structures in a Sustainable Global Food System: A Small Firm Growth Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-24, September.

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