American farmers’ markets: two types of informality

Abstract

Farmers’ markets in the United States are structured in various ways. Even those once‐or‐twice‐a‐week markets that remain outside of the mass production and distribution system by requiring that all goods sold be produced by the seller take two distinct forms. The varieties of produce sold, the number of choices offered customers, the prices charged, the age and income expectations of the sellers, the rules the sellers obey and the role of the sellers in writing and enforcing those rules are consistent within each type of informal, American farmers’ markets but are quite different between the two types.

Farmers' markets and the “good food” value chain: a preliminary study

“…However, to improve our understanding of farmers' markets and their customers, more work needs to be done to understand the extent and nature of differentiation among farmers' markets and the factors contributing to varying degrees of success. While some research has been done recently on market differentiation (Tiemann 2004), additional research to sort through the diversity of farmers' markets and their customers will help to verify both the list of food-purchasing factors and the importance of shopping at farmers' markets among food choices.…”

Alternative Food Movements

“…But as the popularity of FMs has grown, so too has their diversity. There exist 'indigenous markets' that operate with no formal rules yet adhere to selling only local, seasonal product, as well as 'experience markets' governed by written, formal rules (Tiemann, 2004). In British Columbia, for example, 'make-bake-grow' restrictions at many markets prohibit resale of items (Wittman et al, 2012).…”

Class Conscious, Color‐Blind: Examining the Dynamics of Food Access and the Justice Potential of Farmers Markets

“…In Memphis, farmers markets occupy a central node in a growing AFN network and represent a key economic development strategy in urban contexts, for example, for downtown revitalization (Bubinas ; Oths and Groves ). The rise in number of farmers markets in Memphis and the surrounding county (Shelby), from two in 2009 to nine in 2013, has led to a diversification of markets based on the objectives of the sponsoring organizations and on economic considerations (Fisher ; Oths and Groves ; Tiemann ). The two earliest markets, the Agricenter Farmers Market (Agricenter FM) and the Memphis Farmers Market (Memphis FM), mark the most eastern (suburban) and western (downtown) points of the urban famers market landscape considered here, which includes eight markets.…”