Farmers Markets - University of California Small Farm Program - UC ...

SMALL FARM NEWS VOLUME III 2002Director’s MessageCelebrate Farmers MarketsDesmond JollyWhen a few ‘back-to-the landers’organized a farmers market inDavis back in the mid-1970s, few of us,including the organizers, could haveimagined that it would become the centralcommunity institution that definesthe public face and character of the city.This is not to depreciate the communityvalue of one of the world’s bestpublic universities. But the public doesnot engage with the university the wayit does withthe farmersmarket.T h eDavis FarmersMarkethas evolvedfrom ratherhumble beginnings— adozen farmersor so selling off the backs of theirpickups along the sidewalk at the northwestcorner of Central Park.But like other products of a 1970scultural revolution against ‘WonderBread’ — natural foods, organic foods,herbal remedies, meditation, holisticmedicine and others — it tapped a responsivechord among consumers, particularlythe post-war 1960s generation.Recall that back in the ‘60s we were stillcaught in the web of a ‘meat and potatoes’Midwest cuisine. Even in California,iceberg lettuce was de riguer.Above and right: Shoppers stroll and a chefprepares a meal at the Davis Farmers Market.It was the ‘back-to-the landers,’ thesmall scale, pioneer farmers of the ‘70sand ‘80s, who created the perception thatproduce could be exciting, and farmersmarkets came to be associated with freshness,with flavor, with a wholesomenessthat seemed attractive compared with thesupermarket choices of gas ripened tomatoes,immature fruit, and iceberg lettuce.We should note that today’s supermarketbears little resemblance to the supermarketsof the ‘60s. They haveadapted, and in so doing, have incorporatedmany of the attributes of farmersmarkets. So all consumers are now beneficiariesof the innovations developed byCalifornia’s small farmers.Even so, farmers markets continueto grow in popularity for a variety ofreasons, including the atmosphere.And absent this growth, small scalefarming would be inconsequential inour agricultural landscape. So celebratewith us, in this season of abundantproduce, the birth and growth ofCalifornia’s and the U.S.’s farmers markets.P.S. Added Value ProductsOur next issue of Small FarmNews will be devoted to added valueproducts. If you are involved with theproduction and marketing of addedvalue products, we might list your farmand products in an added value directorywe will be developing.For more information, contact theSmall Farm Center at (530) 752-8136,or e-mail: sfcenter@ucdavis.eduVisit the Small Farm Center's online library athttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/libraryto order small farm publications on topics ranging fromadzuki beans to agricultural legislation.2