Shoots and Roots of a Healthy Community

Health Benefits of a Farmers' Market in East Palo Alto

I. Executive Summary

II. Introduction

a. Purpose of our online paper (to provide community members of EPA with a valuable source of information on the health-related aspects of farmers’ markets).

b. What are farmers’ markets?

c. Farmers’ markets in CA and USA

• History/Results
• Funding

d. Plans for a farmers’ market in EPA

• Collective Roots history (structure and community gardening)
• Estimated timeline
• Goals/structure
• Funding

III. Farmers’ Markets as healthy substitutes for a lack of grocery stores in low-income communities.

a. Define grocery store (or acceptable food source).

b. Grocery stores in EPA

• Hx of grocery stores/acceptable food sources in EPA. Info: newspaper articles, speaking with community leaders/members
• Are they less common in places like EPA? Why?
• What effect has this had on the health of the community/ compare with other similar communities

c. In what other ways is EPA impoverished and how is a lack of a FM/ food sources symptomatic of this?

d. How does a farmers’ market substitute as a healthy alternative to small, higher-priced minimarts or fast-food restaurants, etc?

• Benefits of farmers’ market w/ respect to existing structures in EPA
• Brief assessment of other alternatives to the grocery store shortage some are listed in the healthy food/healthy communities resource

e. Economic motivations

• What are the economic motivations for designing a farmer’s market?
• How does spurred economic activity relate to the overall health of the community?

f. How could EPA be impacted by the addition of a farmers’ market?

IV. Farmers’ markets produce healthy options and promote healthy lifestyles.

a. Nutritional information on the types of products traditionally found at a farmer’s market.

b. What other obvious, or less obvious, health benefits come with simply having a farmer’s market (socializing with members of the community, walking, sharing healthy recipes, etc.)?

c. What about the health impacts on children in low-income communities?

What do they learn about healthy living from farmers’ markets?

V. Farmers’ Markets as a forum for other health-related services

a. What kind of health-services are often available at farmers’ markets?

b. What about other health-related service opportunities (blood drive, etc.), could be found at a farmer’s market?

c. Would the inclusion of these services at a farmer’s market be more effective than other traditional methods of offering the service in the community? Examples?

VI. Conclusions

a. Our conclusions about the validity of a farmer’s market as a means of improving community health in EPA.

VII. Resources - Bibliography