The Sustainability of Farmer Markets

Seeing the fruits of your labor displayed at one of Austin’s many farmers’ markets can be incredibly rewarding, but knowing that you are also helping Austin to be more sustainable can be equally rewarding.

But even if you are simply a shopper with no green thumb, how does your participation in farmers’ markets help the community be more stable?

One way that it helps a community is that it becomes a more tight-knit circle of buying and selling; when a farmers’ market is open and running, the product being sold is grown close by. For the Sustainable Food Center, they are able to help set-up and support local businesses and farms to have a consistent farmers market to attend.

Ariana DeLaurentis is the Farmers’ Market Programming Manager for the Sustainable Food Center (SFC) here in Austin.

“SFC is on a mission to transform the food system to nourish our health, land and livelihood,” says DeLaurentis. “Our work supports small to mid-sized farms that steward the land.”

One of the most common benefits to farmer’s markets is that it decreases both the distance that the produce has to go as well as the amount of packaging being used.

“Food sold at the SFC Farmers’ Markets is grown and produced within 150 miles of Downtown Austin,” says DeLaurentis. “(This) significantly reduces the number of miles food travels, compared to conventional large-scale agriculture.”

It’s common for conventionally farmed food to travel around 1000 miles before reaching its final destination, but farmer markets will often have a cap on how far the food can travel, generally around 200, but some will only be within 50 miles.

This also helps to decrease the amount of greenhouse emissions that come from truck exhaust or jet fuel.

Another common benefit is that with farmers’ markets, food requires less packaging. As food is grown and produced, it becomes much simpler to prepare for transportation, as well as once it is set up in a farmers market.

Shoppers also generally tend to come with their own way of transporting produce, decreasing the need for farmers to provide a method.

Additionally, farmer markets can include items such as pottery, jewelry and other hand-crafted items that you may not be able to find in a more conventional store.

The best part of shopping at a farmers’ market? You are interacting with a community that is as dedicated as you are to increasing sustainability.

“When you shop at the SFC Farmers’ Markets,” DeLaurentis says. “You are entering a vivacious community dedicated to increasing access to fresh, nutritious, culturally relevant, local food.”

Being able to interact with the farmers, ranchers, crafters and any other type of person at a farmers market allows there to be a more personal touch to everything. You can share recipes and hear personal stories from each seller individually, creating a sense of community that is hard to break.

“I learn all my favorite recipes from the local farmers and ranchers,” says DeLaurentis. “And I find out the coolest Austin events from customers and community members.”

Being able to help support Austin is another great benefit of farmer markets; everything that is bought at a farmer market goes back to the people who are selling, stimulating the local economy.

Being able to learn more about the community you live in, and being able to support the other people in our community, is the best part of a farmers market.