Here’s a solution for farmers’ market crisis
I have corresponded with Peterborough Farmers’ Market board members and their solution to the current Peterborough Farmers’ Market controversy is to improve vendor source signage. I think this is at best a bandage solution and does not address the underlying problems or the exciting potential for improvement at the market.
I support the idea put forward by city councillors Diane Therrien and Dean Pappas that the city should solicit bids for the lease of the Morrow Park property during Saturday morning market hours when the lease is renegotiated.
I support the city choosing a Farmer’s Market group that would include community members as well as vendors on their board as the market is an important community resource and should contain a wider representation of views. I would also support a group that includes a professional manager.
I support choosing a group that includes a higher percentage of local producers over resellers. The Carp Farmer’s Market in Carp near Ottawa is comparable in size to the Peterborough Farmer’s Market and is a producer-only market with a rigorous vender jurying process requiring all products sold at the market to be grown, raised, produced or manufactured by the vendors themselves. Although they do not extend their market hours throughout the winter like ours, their approach has encouraged more local agricultural innovations, such as greenhouses, low tunnels, and food storage facilities to provide a greater range of local out-of-season produce.
Another reason for including more local producers is that Fleming College and Trent University jointly offer one of the most progressive sustainable agriculture and food systems programs in the province, and our local Market should recognize and reflect this. Peterborough and Northumberland Counties provide low-cost farmland where new farmers can make a start. By including more local farmers who produce their own products and sell them at the Peterborough Market, this can lead to better local land utilization, better land stewardship, a smaller carbon footprint and a healthier local economy.
Ruth Bishop Weller Street