EPA Community Farmers' Market News: December 2008

In early December, the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee recommended closing the market for the winter months. We’ll use this time to concentrate on recruiting additional growers, increasing demand, raising awareness, and pursuing alternate times and locations.

Two weeks ago, we began to implement a one-page survey that asks residents to rank their preferences for various market times and locations. We intend to shift our schedule and change our location in a way that fits with the patterns and preferences of East Palo Alto area residents, to ensure that the greatest number of people possible has the opportunity to purchase fresh, local and healthy produce.

The challenges of coordinating a first-year farmers’ market are many, but the most prominent (in that it makes itself known each Sunday) is the pressing necessity to attract both growers and customers—simultaneously.  Farmers want a large customer base, and customers want a big selection.  Additionally, our Sunday afternoon market time is not always the best for small family farmers, like those who have been loyal to our market. Many of our growers start working markets on Wednesday evenings, and then do one or two per day until Sunday morning.  By the time our market time rolls around, growers are often exhausted, but more importantly, they need to get back to their properties to prepare for another week.

The second thing that continues to be a major challenge is planning and implementing a major event that takes place each and every Sunday afternoon. There are permits, fees, taxes and bookkeeping.  There are records to be kept, phone calls to be made and publicity to be done.  If you have skills and experience in any of these business areas and would like to volunteer to help out, please contact David Kane: david@collectiveroots.org.

We will keep you posted over the winter months about market developments—we’ll see you back at the market in the spring!  To see recent market photos, please click here.