What comes to mind when you think of “farmers markets?” Ripe seasonal produce, locally produced honey and jams, specialty baked goods, coffee, flowers, and fresh eggs? While local farmers markets can have a direct positive impact on your weekend morning, they also make a huge impact on our broader community and economy. So much so that the U.S. Department of Agriculture proclaims one week a year in August – August 6-12 this year, to be exact – as National Farmers Market Week.
For more than 50 years, farmers markets have influenced the way Americans eat, shop, and connect to their food, growers, and one another. If the Covid pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we need to improve the way that food gets from the growers and farmers to our plates. Farmers markets have always provided healthy food for everyone, but today’s farmers markets are essential to our food systems. Farmers markets create space where market operators, farmers, and shoppers work in a collaborative partnership to meet a variety of local needs. Markets are becoming increasingly more diverse, too: In 2020, producers of farms that sold food directly to consumers (as opposed to corporations) were more likely to be young women under age 35. Farmers markets also allow start-up farmers, ranchers, and food entrepreneurs to start small and test new products, without the overhead of a small business. And because most farmers markets feature locally grown produce, that produce is fresher because the fruits and veggies only travelled a few miles, not across seven states.
But these benefits aren’t just small potatoes. Farmers markets contribute so much more to our local communities:
- Farmers Markets stimulate local economies. Growers selling locally create an average of 13 full-time farm operator jobs in their communities per $1 million in revenue earned.
- Farmers Markets support conservation, connection, and education: According to a USDA survey, 31,609 volunteers contributed their time across 5,078 markets in 2020.
- Farmers Markets increase access to fresh food: Over $100 million in federal nutrition benefits were redeemed at farmers markets and with direct marketing farmers in 2021.
That last point is significant in terms of increasing the health of Texans. In studies across rural and urban areas, fruit and vegetable consumption substantially increases when people have consistent access to farmers markets. And increased consumption can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, have a positive effect on blood sugar, and positively impact health overall.
Add in incentive programs for SNAP recipients like Double Up Food Bucks and the impact of local farmers markets is even more magnified. The number of markets in DFW now offering Double Up has doubled recently, essentially cutting the cost of locally grown fruits and vegetables in half for Lone Star Card (EBT) holders. Sponsored by North Texas Healthy Communities (a non-profit arm of Texas Health that locally implements Blue Zones Project and other well-being initiatives), Double Up matches fresh produce purchases up to $30 a day when using SNAP at Cowtown Farmers Market, Saginaw Farmers Market, Lake Worth Farmers Market, For Oak Cliff Farmers Market, Bonton Farms and now Dallas Farmers Market. For more information about Double Up and additional locations, visit DoubleUpTexas.org.
Make it a point between August 6-12 (or any day, for that matter) to come out and support your favorite market. In addition to the markets listed above, you can find a full list of DFW farmers markets online. For more ways to enjoy local produce and how to prepare it, visit LiveLongFortWorth.com where you’ll find dozens of plant-forward summer recipes.