by Sherry Horton Blake

Created on: February 08, 2010

Farmers have long sold their excess produce directly from their farms or from roadside stands.  However, we know that farmers’ markets (markets held in public places where farmers sell their produce to the public ) actually existed at least as early as the 1600’s (http://www.ctfarmfresh.org/history.html ).  However, in the late 1800’s, with rail transportation and industry flourishing, many people moved to the cities, and thus permanent stores became widespread.  With their advent, farmers’ markets began to decline. 

The 1930’s saw a slight increase in the number of farmers’ markets and roadside stands throughout the United States.  In Oklahoma, where I live, from the early 1900’s to the 1930’s, farmers took their surplus produce into town to trade for other items they needed, and farmers’ markets began to spring up in these towns.  Oklahoma farmers, as well as other farmers throughout the nation, had their efforts at getting their produce to town enhanced in the 1920’s by motorized trucks and better roads. 

In the 1950’s, there was a resurgence of roadside stands and, once again, a slight growth in the number of farmers’ markets, but farmers’ markets did not actually become popular until the 1970’s.  In the 1980’s, farmers’ markets got a boost as many states realized the need to invest in local agriculture and therefore passed legislature to promote the growing and marketing of local produce.  A general increased awareness of the importance of diet and nutrition also led to an increased interest in farmers’ markets in the 1980’s and 1990’s. 

Farmers’ markets have been increasing dramatically since 1994.  The USDA Agricultural Marketing Services reported in 2006 in “Farmers Markets and Local Food Marketing” that farmers’ markets in the  United States have grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 4,385 in 2006 ( http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets ).    

An article in the Washington Post, “Numbers of Farmers Markets Mushroom,” reported that the growth of farmers’ markets was accelerating with the number growing from 4,685 in 2008 to 5,274 in 2009 (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/food -politics/number-of-farmers-markets-mush.html?wprss= all-we-can-eat ).

The first lady, Michelle Obama, drew attention to the importance of eating locally grown produce by planting a garden on the White House lawn.  Ms. Obama also promoted farmers’ markets by encouraging Freshfarm Markets, a group that runs a number of farmers’ markets in the Washington D.C. area, to set up near the White House, after which she arrived to shop for food. 

Farmers’ markets are expected to continue to increase as people become more and more concerned with eating a nutritious diet.  Also, recent food scares regarding unsafe produce purchased at grocery stores have led more people to shop locally where food is usually considered to be fresher and safer.    

As farmers’ markets continue to grow in number, we can likely expect to see some of the larger markets providing online services.  Also, a few companies have sprung into existence recently that pick up the produce from local farms and bring it to the buyer’s doorstep (mobile farmers’ markets). 

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