Story and Photos by Abigail Keller
As another Saturday sun rises in Carrboro, North Carolina, tents are assembled, tables are set and people begin to flow in.
What was previously a public park is now a place of food, shopping and community. It’s a farmers market.
At farmers markets, smiles and small talk are exchanged over tables covered with fresh vegetables and fruits.
At farmers markets, crafts and passions are shared by strangers and friends alike.
At farmers markets, the exchange of knowledge and products creates unique connections.
No matter if these markets are open for a few hours on the weekend or every day, they serve as vibrant public spaces where communities learn, grow and work together.
“There’s a real energy that comes with farmers markets,” Maggie Funkhouser, manager of Carrboro Farmers Market, said. “It’s almost like you set the stage for a play and then it’s just amazing to see everything pop up.”
With more than 200 farmers markets across the state, North Carolina’s environment, economy and communities have long been supported by them and they continue to do so today.
Many states have organized state farmers market associations and network organizations to facilitate communication between markets. Despite being a major agricultural hub, North Carolina did not officially have one until just months ago.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders were in place and restrictions were everywhere. Because most farmers markets rely on human contact and being in person, there was a lot of confusion about what could and could not happen.
In 2021, farmers market allies from Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Rural Advancement Foundation Inc. and N.C. State Extension established recurring networking and information-sharing calls for farmers market managers to address these concerns.
“Farmers markets are essential,” Hannah Dankbar, local food program manager at N.C. State Extension, said. “Selling food, especially in outdoor spaces was a great thing to happen during the pandemic and there was a huge demand for markets. As we continued to meet online, a lot of the managers saw the value of getting to network and getting to know each other and share resources.”
This past spring, the North Carolina Farmers Market Network officially received its 501(c)3 non-profit status and is transitioning to a formal membership network, but its mission to create a thriving North Carolinian network of marketplaces for local food and farm products remains the same.
In 2022, there were more than 6 million customers at farmers markets in North Carolina, and they spent over $100 million.
Since farmers usually source locally by shopping at local feed stores, farm equipment dealers and mills, the dollars spent at the farmers market stay in the community and state longer.
Many farmers markets in North Carolina also promote economic accessibility by accepting electronic benefit transfer payments. EBT is an electronic system that replaced paper food stamp coupons with a physical card. These cards can be used to purchase tokens that can be used at vendors’ booths.
Some markets even offer additional incentives to stretch EBT budgets while shopping at the market.
At Carrboro Farmers Market, for example, double bucks are offered. When an EBT card is used, they will match purchases dollar-for-dollar, which results in double the money to spend.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, aims to provide food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.
Both SNAP and EBT are widely accepted and used at farmers markets across the United States.
Along with selling at markets, farms also use the community-supported agriculture model, also known as CSA, to encourage local food sourcing.
CSA is a marketing model whereby local farmers offer unique farm products to buyers who will subscribe to receive a weekly or monthly box of fruits, vegetables, fresh flowers, eggs, meats, cheeses, or any assortment of local farm products.
Each year, more and more customers are drawn to farmers markets due to an increasing demand for natural and organic food.
In 2022, organic food sales in the United States broke through $60 billion for the first time.
Organic produce held its position as the top seller of all organic categories. Sales of organic produce totaled $22 billion, accounting for 15 percent of all fruit and vegetable sales in this country.
Although 88 percent of organic sales occur through conventional food supermarkets and chains, the remainder of sales occur through farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture and other direct-to-consumer sales.
“As social media has grown, I feel like the amount of information about food contamination has as well,” Ryan Cooper, a Holly Springs resident who shops at the local market, said. “As I’m getting older, I’m starting to think about what I’m putting into my body more and more.”
This upward trend depicts a rising consciousness among customers who are concerned with not just what they eat, but how it is produced. As a result, more and more farmers are adopting environmentally sound farming practices that improve, rather than degrade, the natural environment.
According to a 2015 survey done by the American Farmland Trust and Farmers Market Coalition, 48 percent of farmers selling at farmers markets use integrated pest management to manage and prevent crop damage while 81 percent incorporate cover crops, reduced tillage, on-site composting and other soil health practices into their operations.
As long as farmers and their land succeed, so do farmers markets.
Multiple studies indicate that farmers market vendors receive between 40 and 70 percent more for their products at the market than selling them through wholesale outlets.
Farmers markets take sustainability a step further by ensuring farmers can make a living off sustainably grown food while providing an outlet where communities can find and purchase their products.
Nearly half of the farmers markets in the United States sell organically labeled products, and many more sell chemical or pesticide-free labeled products.
Products also travel way less distance to farmers markets in comparison to grocery stores, with some markets only have food grown within 50 miles.
When agricultural operations are sustainably managed, they can restore habitats, provide climate resilience benefits and improve water quality, impacting more than just farmers market shoppers.
But no market can happen without its community.
For Nora Rodli, a farmer at Laughing Springs Farm & Botanicals in Boone and N.C. Farmers Market Network’s project coordinator, farmers markets provide immediate feedback and relationship.
“I love the way they help farmers grow their business and I love, as a farmer, that connection where you see the face of a person who is going to be eating the food,” Rodli said. “It’s a really valuable connection that is hard to put into words.”
For customers, the bond that farmers markets create is mutual.
“Farmers markets offer a really wonderful venue to not only shop, but to connect with people one on one,” Dylan Hoover, a Chapel Hill resident who shops at the local market, said. “A really special part about farmers markets is that they offer this really unique chance to really get to know the person that is making your food.”
