Market Benefits
In addition to increasing access to quality produce, the income of local growers and community building opportunities, we believe the Market will bring a series of economic, environmental and social benefits to the community. As mentioned before, although City Heights is struggling to address its community and environmental health concerns, it is a flourishing and flavorful immigrant community. Based on the following data, we are confident that the Market will grow local revenue, increase feelings of community, and provide opportunities to improve health and eco-literacy within the neighborhood.
Previous qualitative and quantitative research has detailed the following benefits of farmers’ markets:
Economic
- Studies in other parts of North America indicate a definite ripple effect from Farmers’ Markets. In short each dollar spent at a Farmers’ Market turns over in the community up to eight times.
- In a Project for Public Spaces (PPS) study, 60% of customers surveyed said they had or would visit other stores in the market area, and 60% of those customers said they only visit those stores on market day.
- The same PPS study found that the Downtown Syracuse Farmers’ Market is a destination for many customers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. But in addition to spending $10.00 in the market, they also reported spending an additional $9.00 at local businesses.
- Some communities report that markets increase Downtown Renovation and help create new neighborhood businesses.
- Market sales to local growers help support farmers and increase their likelihood of staying on their land.
- For consumers that use food stamps, every $5.00 in Food Stamp benefits generates $9.20 in the general economy because it frees people to spend money elsewhere.
Social
- Farmers’ markets discourage crime and bring “positive attention” to the neighborhood.
- In diverse neighborhoods such as City Heights, food can be used to facilitate cross-cultural learning and communication.
- Markets often increase community by encouraging and enabling opportunities for social interaction; for example, a study conducted by the University of California’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program showed that the average number of social interactions in a large grocery store is one or two per visit, but if you go to a farmers’ market it’s 15 or 20 per visit.
Environmental
- Buying local produce helps to support San Diego’s “foodshed” and increases the likelihood of keeping area land in agricultural production instead of development.
- Today the average food item travels 1,500 miles from farm to fork. Local food systems decrease the number of food miles and subsequently discourage global warming by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
- Purchasing food from local farmers also increases opportunities for environmental education, increasing consumers’ interaction with farmers and their knowledge about food systems.
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