Sustainable Farming, Educated Consumers and Farmers Markets: A Symbiotic Partnership
(Based on this
original article.)
The Port Townsend Farmers Market is a prize of Jefferson County, not only because it offers people fresh, locally-grown produce, but also because our farm vendors largely make sustainable farming a vital part of their operation. The market is a meeting place for such farmers and their customers, the vast majority of whom live and work right in our community.
Sustainable farmers take on three primary responsibilities to meet their standards. These are:
* Environmental stewardship
* Farming communities
* Farm profitability
Together they comprise the mission of sustainable farming. From the standpoint of the farmer, this means taking care not to overtax the ecological systems of the land they farm, being a part of a larger movement of peers rather than going it alone and thriving rather than just surviving. For the consumer, practicing sustainable farming means spending their money and giving their support to people who live by these principles. This is one of the reasons why farmers markets are so important.
Different Standpoints
Although the farmer and the consumer are coming at the issue from different angles, their causes are united. By adopting principles of sustainable farming, growers of produce have pledged themselves to an agrarian life that makes environmental care an enormous responsibility. Before this movement began to take shape, farmer profitability was only available to those who went the route of industrial farming, a practice that is neither environmentally conscious nor beneficial to the consumer. Those who practice sustainable farming avoid corporate affiliation and instead focus on the local viability of their produce. Since industrial farming or agri-business is such a behemoth, profitability relies upon sustainable farming communities standing together. It also relies upon consumers to take these issues to heart and put their money in support of them.
Sustainable Farming and Farmers Markets
Farmers markets are the marketplace realization of the principles of sustainable farming. Communities organize around the three principles, standing united in core belief and mutual support. As this happens, people in cities and towns where farmers markets are held adopt the same attitudes and help to make the sustainable farms profitable by spending their money at the markets. Because both the farmers and the consumers see environmental stewardship as the centerpiece to agricultural sustainability, they are united in principle and mutually benefit each other. The farmers produce quality sustainable produce while the consumers purchase it, completing the cycle.
Without sustainable farms, farmers markets would be a hollow shell, a corporate produce aisle set up on the street. Thus, the link between sustainable farming and farmers markets is a direct one that shares a cause and effect relationship. Healthy, sustainable produce is provided to the consumer while the farmers are supported for providing it. They can thrive rather than just survive because not only are they supported from within their own communities they are supported from without by conscientious consumers.
Farmers markets serve sustainable farms. Their relationship is symbiotic–without farmers markets, sustainable farms would have few places to sell their wares; without sustainable farms, farmers markets would not exist. Both share in the belief that the principles of sustainable farming are necessary to produce healthy, affordable produce without the interference of speculators and middlemen.
Ultimately, of course, neither farmers markets nor sustainable farms would exist without the committed support of consumers in their local communities. Farmers markets and the number of sustainable farms are growing because people understand the benefits that sustainable agriculture offers in terms of their health, food security, and the physical and social environment in which they live. Shopping at a Farmers Market is a very direct investment in your quality of life.
