Location and profile are vital for promoting Farmers’ Markets
A good location and building up solid public profile are key considerations when it comes to promoting Farmers’ Markets in any locality. Many markets and food producers will have their own locations and identities that they may have fought hard to preserve over the years, but more can always be done to increase public presence.
Local authorities and food lobbying organisations assist Farmers’ Markets by facilitating and providing public spaces in our towns. But this can be improved on and should always be open to re-evaluation if a local authority feels a Farmers’
Market is gaining traction with consumers.
The view that rate paying businesses should require an exclusive trading environment – one that doesn’t have Farmers’ Markets camped close by competing for trade – is one that minimises overall potential for business in a locality.
Any successful Farmers’ Market will attract footfall. This in turn will benefit businesses in that vicinity. Trade is about the ability to attract customers. The more customers in one area, the more money is spread. Because Farmers’ Markets are mobile they can be positioned in locations a. where more footfall is needed, or, b. to augment locations where a high density of businesses exist.
Instead of the ‘ them and us’ approach, Farmers’ Markets should be considered essential trade enhancers in our streetscapes, town squares and for social gatherings. To marginalise Farmers’ Markets is to have a debilitating impact on artisan skills and the supply of fresh produce. A knock-on effect of this is the loss of education about where our food comes from and how it’s cultivated. Farmers’ Markets need and deserve greater social presence.