European and United States farmers’ markets: similarities, differences and potential developments

Farmers’ markets have always been the usual way of buying and selling rural products in the Western world. With the advent of supermarkets, farmers’ markets rapidly disappeared in many nations. However, in countries such as France and Italy, which place a high priority on food origin and regional specialisation, some farmers’ markets continued to exist, partly due to their mechanisms to identify and promote locally grown foods. The consumer’s desire to re-establish a bond with local food products, local growers and producers, together with the growing concern for food freshness and healthiness have been key drivers for the renaissance of farmers’ markets occurred in the latest years in many European countries and in the United States. Several studies, conducted across Europe and in the U.S., have shown rising consumers’ consideration of farmers’ markets as important sources of household food shopping and increasing attention of farmers to this sale channel, in a period in which their share of the “food dollar” is continuing to decrease. The objectives of this paper are to contribute to extend understanding of the main features of the European and United States farmers’ markets and raise critical questions about their potential development in the modern food system.