So it's National Farmers' Market Week in the United States this August 3rd through 9th. Given that I've spent an ungodly amount of time researching Farmers' Market-related information in the past few months, I felt it necessary to contribute something to the conversations that are opening up online. Here is a radio segment, first aired July 23, 2014 on CBC, that addresses the question "are Farmers' Markets actually worth the time and money?"
I'll be the first to say that I find their answers quite dissatisfying and sometimes even plain wrong, but I think that some of the assumptions made are indicative of certain voices and opinions that are quite prevalent in Calgary and should be addressed. I'm trying to answer my own questions regarding the authenticity, community, and relevance of Farmers' Markets in Alberta (along with the suite of issues represented by the categories of food associated with them - organic, local, grain-free, vegan...), and I think it would be really interesting to follow-up some of the assertions made in the segment ("is it really a market if you can buy kiwis?").
It'll be interesting to see what other discussions and questions occur as a result of this Farmers' Market Week; hopefully there'll be some useful resources and papers that we can use for our U of C info sessions!
It'll be interesting to see what other discussions and questions occur as a result of this Farmers' Market Week; hopefully there'll be some useful resources and papers that we can use for our U of C info sessions!