Sustainability Practices and Market Growth at the Adam’s County Farmers Market

By: Spencer Myler

September 24, 2021

Students in the Environmental Journalism class from Gettysburg College visited the Adam’s County Farmers Market on September 11, 2021, and discovered the importance of eating locally grown, seasonal foods due to their connection with sustainability while also learning about the rapid growth of farmers markets over recent years. The students had the opportunity to have a chat with the Adam’s County Farmers Market manager, Reza Djalal, to discuss the environmental and economical details of the market and its vendors. 

The Adam’s County Farmers market is laid out in a large rectangular shape where around thirty vendors have the opportunity to sell their produce. There are vendors for anything from eggs to fruits and vegetables to CBD products. There was plenty of diversity in the people attending the farmers market and happy families came to take in the vibrant feel of live music on a slightly overcast Saturday. The air smelled of tacos and donuts from the trucks scattered at the front of the market and people gathered around the band members who were freestyling about anyone that walked in front of them. 

Sustainable Agriculture and Seasonality

One of the core values of the Adam’s County Farmers Market is to “support local farms, environmental sustainability and land preservation” (“Mission”, 2021). A way someone could contribute to this value would be to eat local, seasonal foods that the market provides. 

One problem that the farmers market manager, Reza Djalal, mentions is that people have “lost touch with seasonality and that is a massive part of sustainability” (R.Djalal, personal communication, September 11, 2021). Reza says that he tries to fix this problem by having vendors who offer unique and seasonal products. A mistake that people often make is buying products such as fruits that are out of season and that is something that people need to avoid doing. 

People may ask how eating local, seasonal foods is helping sustainability and the health of our planet. By eating seasonally, there is a contribution being made towards sustainability because there will be a reduction in the amount of energy used to store the food. By eating locally, where the items are normally brought to a market within a small distance, it reduces the amount of pollution and energy used to transport the produce (“Top 10 benefits of eating local, seasonal, organic food”, 2021). 

 Supporting local farmers and eating local food will be “increasingly important in an economic crisis, as energy prices rise, as our climate continues to change, and as our food supply continues to become threatened by a loss of biodiversity” (“Top 10 benefits of eating local, seasonal, organic food”, 2021). With a constantly changing environment farmers markets are beginning to become more popular by the year. 

Growth of Farmers Markets

Farmers markets across the United States have been growing economically in recent years, especially the one in Adams County. Reza mentions that he wants to be “a small business incubator,” and that the “market is set to increase by 50% this year.” (R.Djalal, personal communication, September 11, 2021). A question that people may ask is what is causing the market to grow so much? 

There are several reasons but one reason, in particular, is the utilization of things such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Healthy Options Program that give the less fortunate access to fresh, local food. According to the USDA website, “SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency” (“Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”, 2021). Every year the Adams County Farmers Market helps 1,200 plus food insecure individuals (R.Djalal, personal communication, September 11, 2021) Programs like these are one of the reasons that farmers markets are growing because they bring more revenue to the markets. 

The Adams County Farmers Market is only one example of farmers market growth because there are many others opening up and succeeding as well. According to the Warsaw academic paper on the impacts of farmer’s markets, “Since the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began recording the number of farmer’s markets in 1994, the prevalence has increased from 1755 to 8761 in 2019 [4]. According to the 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey, farmers market sales consisted of 23% of direct-to-consumer farm sales, totaling $711 million in revenue” (Warsaw, 2021). There has been massive growth in the number of farmer’s markets that are opening up and creating revenue and it is allowing for more people to access local and seasonal foods which increases the well-being of those communities. 

The Atmosphere at the Market

It is not hard to notice what draws tons of people to markets like the one in Adams County. Fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, and seasonal drinks such as apple cider are all sold to the delight of the customer. People gather with their families on the weekends not only to search for healthy food to nurture them but to also bond with each other in a moment and to make memories. Vendors served customers with a smile and were willing to happily help anyone with their needs. 

When asked about what brings them to the farmers market every weekend, a customer who doesn’t wish to be named stated, “I enjoy buying products from and coming to the market because I know it is straight from the source and I can rely on it being the best quality.” The key idea here is to support local farmers markets. Not only will you be benefiting them economically and supporting the surrounding community, but you will be eating healthily and making contributions environmentally by eating sustainable agriculture. 

References

Mission. Adams County Farmers Markets. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.acfarmersmarkets.org/mission. 

*, N. (2021, August 28). Top 10 benefits of eating local, seasonal, organic food. Sustainable Capitol Hill. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://sustainablecapitolhill.org/eating-locally-in-capitol-hill/. 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). USDA. (2021, August 16). Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program. 

Warsaw, P.; Archambault, S.; He, A.; Miller, S. The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3423. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13063423

Reza Djalal (Adams County Farmers Market Manager)