Emily Salomon, a Food Project alumna, wrote the following article on farmer’s markets in the state of New Jersey. She wrote on behalf of the International City/County Management Association, where she works, and the article was published in New Jersey Municipalities Magazine.

The full article, with graphics, citations, and footnotes, can be downloaded from here.

Though the weather is still wintry outside, some jurisdictions in the Garden State are gearing up for the growing season and beginning to plan for their community farmers’ markets. During this time of year, market managers throughout the state meet with farmers to secure vendors, build financial support and apply for grants, and put together educational programs. It can also be an excellent time for local governments to develop a strategy for supporting farmers’ markets in their community.

Farmers’ markets are a creative way to bring healthy foods to local residents and workers, promote healthier communities, and provide an experience for shoppers that surpass anything found at the supermarket or grocery store. Just ask Collin Egan, manager of the Journal Square Farmers’ Market in Jersey City, who praises the fact that the farmers’ market offers “freshness, diversity, and quality produce” picked that same day. The market also “gives people something they wouldn’t have otherwise, no matter how many stores sell produce”, such as the opportunity to interact directly with farmers, to learn about how fruits and vegetables grow, and to intermingle with community members. Farmers’ markets are unique because they support healthy lifestyles, local farmers’, and local businesses.

A Growing Phenomenon

There is a resurgence of community farmers’ markets across the country, having increased 80 percent in the past 8 years . New Jersey is no exception to this trend. According to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, in the early and mid-1980’s, only a handful of community farmers’ markets in were up and running. In the past 3 farming seasons alone, 24 new community farmers’ markets have been initiated, totaling 79 farmers’ markets in 2005 statewide.

Interestingly, local governments are in an advantageous position to organize, implement, and manage a community farmers’ market in their jurisdiction because of the many resources available to them in-house. Important logistics such as site location, zoning, parking, traffic control, health codes, and garbage pick-ups are typically worked out by different municipal departments. The Hoboken Farmers’ Market, managed by David Calamoneri in the Department of Environmental Services explains that local government participation in the Hoboken Farmers’ Market has always been essential to its realization “for at the very least supplying garbage cans, picking up garbage, and parking.” He believes it is beneficial to have the City department manage the market because it is “easier to have one entity (the City) take care of something” since of all the necessary services are consolidated within the local government.

In many locales, farmers’ markets are administered by non-profit organizations, religious institutions, a chamber of commerce, or downtown improvement district. The importance of local government cooperation in their efforts to implement a farmers’ market is echoed by other farmers’ market managers. “It is vitally important for organizations like mine to work with the municipality because if there is a good working relationship, so much more can be done,” says Nancy Adams of the Newark Downtown District, a non-profit organization. Kim Aubrey of the Trenton Downtown Association, also a non-profit organization, has worked closely with the Trenton Department of Public Works and the Trenton Police Department to navigate the flow of traffic at the market she manages, located on a blocked off street in a high-traffic area. Aubrey has also collaborated with the Department of Inspection to get approval to secure electricity to amplify music that is performed by a band at the market. Local governments have other valuable resources they can contribute to organizations that run local farmers’ markets. They can support healthy eating campaigns, work with the department of agriculture to ensure food stamps can be accepted at the local market, and provide technical assistance to the partner organization running the market. According to the USDA, 41 percent of farmers’ markets in the mid-Atlantic region in 2000 were subsidized by local governments, showing that many towns and city officials are already involved in providing assistance to implement farmers’ markets.

Healthy Foods are Important to Local Government!

When local governments support farmers’ markets, they support healthy eating choices. This is especially important because obesity and other preventable diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and cancer, of which poor nutrition is a root cause, are on the rise. Over half of the New Jersey adult population is overweight and obese, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority populations . But this problem is not limited to adults — the rate of youth obesity has tripled in the past three decades, increasing the likelihood that future generations will face lifelong health problems. Perhaps it is not surprising then, that only a quarter of New Jersey’s population consumes the government recommended diet of 5 fruits and vegetables a day.

Poor nutrition is expensive. In New Jersey, $2.3 billion was spent in 2003 on medical costs associated with the obesity epidemic, including doctors visits, hospitalization, and medicine . Local governments cover a great deal of this cost, through employee health insurance premiums and health care for the un- and under-insured. The indirect costs of obesity raise the stakes even higher for employers to include low worker productivity, workers compensation, and absenteeism, due to poor health. Good nutrition can lower these health-related expenses.

Local officials are in a unique position to promote healthier eating in their communities. What individuals choose to eat may be a personal choice, but their choices are determined by what is available, convenient, and affordable. Farmers’ markets give consumers additional choices of where they can buy groceries, which can improve access to healthy foods. In Newark, supermarkets are sparse and the Common Greens Farmers’ Market “provides a venue residents don’t normally have”, says Nancy Adams. Food access is a serious barrier for many people to achieve a healthy diet, primarily those most affected by the obesity epidemic: low income and minority populations. It is well documented that grocery stores in low income rural and urban areas tend to charge 4-10% more for the same food that is sold at supermarkets in the suburbs. In the inner cities, corner stores and gas stations, which may be the only choices for individuals to shop at, can charge up to as much as 49% more for the same food sold at chain grocery stores4. Very rarely do these stores offer a selection of healthy, fresh foods. Local Governments can ensure that farmers at the local markets accept WIC and Senior Nutrition vouchers, reducing the barriers of buying products not typically affordable or readily available for income and age qualified people. Legislative Assemblyman Johnson refers to the Farmers’ Market in his hometown of Englewood as a “staple of life that Englewood residents depend on” because of it enables all community members, particularly seniors, to get “farm fresh produce right in their own backyard.”

Transportation barriers can exacerbate the problems of food accessibility, making it more difficult for people without means to a car or adequate public transportation to reach affordable, quality foods. Egan claims that in Jersey City, “people come to the Square specifically for the market because of its easy access.” This market has been successful for the past eleven years, largely because of its central location which is adjacent to a transit hub serving the PATH train and local bus lines. In Newark, the Common Greens Farmers’ Market is near major bus lines, but as an additional benefit for the senior population, the city provides shuttle buses for senior citizens to attend the market.

In addition to providing more opportunities to buy healthy food, farmers’ markets have the potential to educate shoppers about nutritious eating and overall health. At the Camden Farmers’ Market, flyers are distributed on behalf of the USDA’s 5-a-Day campaign. Some cities offer cooking demonstrations by local chefs, creating easy and practical meals with food available for sale at the market. In East Orange, Stan Edwards of the Department of Recreation and Market Manager for the East Orange Farmers’ Market works closely with the Department of Health to develop health programming for the market, including blood pressure and diabetes screenings. Edwards tries to get market shoppers to listen to messages about good health by bringing bands and musical performances to draw a crowd, and then have presenters discuss health issues during intermission. At the Hoboken Farmers’ Market, a nutritionist is available to answer health related questions and provide expertise on healthy eating. In Jersey City, school groups take advantage of the Journal Square Farmers’ Market because it is held mid-week, and students can go to learn from farmers’ how our food is grown.

Reaping the Benefits

“Farmers’ markets are a positive thing to do, a win-win”, says Robert Good of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Participating in a market helps farmers broaden their customer base and earn a direct profit, preserving precious farmland from development. Good explains that many farmers who traditionally sell their produce wholesale, particularly in South Jersey, have made the switch to sell direct at farmers’ markets. These farmers do not want to go back because they enjoy the contact with the customer, which has been beneficial to their business. In East Orange, Edwards recognizes that the Farmers’ Market provide the opportunity for “farmers from New Jersey get a chance to survive” while citizens benefit because they “are able to get a choice of fresh grown produce”. For shoppers, there can be noticeable savings for foods fresher then those available at the supermarket. Calamoneri says that just as the farmers who work the markets, shoppers are attracted to buying direct from the farmer because it eliminates “the middleman or refrigerator truck from California. That brings people out more than anything else.”

Farmers’ markets also serve as a tool to stimulate the local economy. Each Tuesday in Trenton during the summer months, the Capital City market serves as a vehicle to “enliven the whole area, which is beneficial to the city.” Market manager Kim Aubrey has found that local business owners near the market feel good about the increased visibility and notes that on market days, many businesses bring tables out onto the sidewalk to sell their goods on the street. Through something as simple and low-cost as allowing the use of public property (such as a park, parking lot, municipal building, public transit station, or a closed-off street) for a farmers’ market, local governments can fuel economic revitalization by generating foot traffic and spending dollars for area businesses.

More than Food

“Farmers’ markets draw people together. Period”, says Good. The popularity of the farmers’ markets crosses all boundaries and provides the opportunity for residents and workers to interact and to celebrate the community. The City of Hoboken recognizes that one of the purposes of their Farmers’ Market is to serve as a gathering place for the community, where people can exchange “smiles, thoughts, and recipes.” Local government can be involved to foster this sense of community. Diane Wood of the New Jersey Council of Farmers’ and Communities says that because farmers’ markets are “a relaxed setting for people to communicate with each other” it is a good outlet to increase local government participation. “In that respect, local government becomes more aware of the community and the community becomes more aware of them.” In Hoboken, the local government increases its visibility at the weekly market by dedicating a stand to provide citywide updates and news items, schedule of city events, distribute handouts on the benefits of healthy eating, and engage in voter registration. Even though the Hoboken Farmers’ Market is organized by the local government and their presence is clear, Calamoneri explains the farmers’ market policy is, “no politics on the block” because the market is for everyone in the community.

Community farmers’ markets are dynamic places that make buying healthy foods fun, accessible, and affordable. Local governments play an important role in the success of markets, whether they are in the lead role managing the market or in a supportive role with a private entity in the lead. Local governments involved in farmers’ markets send the message that improving community health is an important priority. Besides encouraging citizen interaction, the markets can serve as an outlet to increase local governments’ own visibility and to foster positive relationships between them and community members. Farmers’ markets are a unique strategy that can enhance quality of life, provide economic development opportunities, and reduce health care costs in the long-term.

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The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is a partner in the Active Living Leadership initiative, a national project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As a partner in the Active Living Leadership initiative, ICMA supports government leaders as they create and promote policies, programs and places that enable active living and healthy eating at the local level. For more information, visit icma.org/activeliving. To learn more about the initiative and other national government leadership organizations involved in this project, visit www.activelivingleadership.org.

For more information on farmers’ markets:

New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Jersey Grown
http://www.jerseygrown.nj.gov/

New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Jersey Fresh
http://www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/index.html

New Jersey Council of Farmers’ and Communities (NJCFC)
http://www.njcfc.org

Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program
http://rutgers.njfsnep.org/network/default.asp

Project for Public Spaces
http://www.pps.org/markets/market_profiles/

Agricultural Marking Services @ the United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers’ Markets
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/

USDA Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/default.htm

Resources for Farmers’ Markets
http://www.nemw.org/farmersmarkets/