Annotated Bib

"Farmers Market: A Rich History". Farmers Market LA. .

This is an important site for both our group project and my individual project because it gives some of the history of the topic. For my project, it is important that I understand the history of farmers markets because it will help me gain a deeper understanding of the concept of local markets and of how much they have evolved since their establishment. The source that I found certainly seems reliable. It gives a good and detailed history of how farmers markets came to be. I will be using this information at the beginning of my project and my presentation. I will use it as a base for explaining farmers markets in more detail. I also think this history is important to the other members of my group, since all of our individual projects are connected.

Individual Proposal

Our overall group project focuses on CSAs and sustainability. However, for my individual project, I am going to be looking specifically at farmers markets. Farmers markets are of extreme importance because they give farmers and consumers the opportunity to buy and sell locally. This is good for consumers because it offers organic, healthy food products. It is good for farmers because they are able to make a profit. For my project, I am going to be exploring this further. I plan to go to the local farmers market here in Syracuse and talk to the people who are buying and selling these products. By talking to them, I believe that I will gain a better understanding of how important farmers markets are to communities. I also want to do some scholarly research. How exactly do farmers markets benefit local economies? How much of a benefit in it? Are there any weaknesses to farmers markets? Looking at weaknesses will help me to see the complexities of my topic, and will ultimately make the project stronger.

Much of the information that is known about farmers markets is positive. Usually when you hear about a local farmers market, you hear that it has healthier food and is good for local farmers and the local economy. But farmers markets do have weaknesses and they are considerably more complex than they may seem at first. The website for Agricultural Marketing Service, a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture, plays up all the good things about farmers markets. It emphasizes that local markets offer fresh products and the opportunity to develop personal relationships with the local farmers. It also mentions that there are more than 4,3000 farmers markets in the United States. However, it does not mention one of the main weaknesses of farmers markets. The markets are entirely seasonal. As Pat Robinson brings up in a New York Times opinion piece, many farmers markets simply shut down in the winter. Robinson is from Wisconsin, where this is a problem. Not everything he needs is as the market, if the market is even open at all. This is a major weakness of the farmers market. If consumers want more than the market offers, they have to go to the nearest chain grocery store. And another issue that has to be considered is that when consumers have to go to a grocery store for one thing, they will probably just get everything else they want there too because it is more convenient. What this says to me is that, even though I am fully supportive of local farmers markets, perhaps more needs to be done in order for farmers and consumers alike to reap the full potential benefits of them.

Sources:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateC&navID=FarmersMarkets&rightNav1=FarmersMarkets&topNav=&leftNav=WholesaleandFarmersMarkets&page=WFMFarmersMarketsHome&description=Farmers%20Markets&acct=frmrdirmkt
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE2DD133FF936A35752C1A9609C8B63&scp=2&sq=farmer%27s+market&st=nyt

This image shows why CSAs are so important to our communities. When we go to local supermarkets or mega food stores, we often buy food without having any idea where it came from. Rather than being attracted to the freshness and health of a product, we are attracted to the price of it. CSAs are about freshness, health, and community. When you buy a product from a local farmer's market, you are able to know exactly where that product is coming from. This images provides an excellent example of that. If you are going to buy a product from this stand, you don't have to wonder where that product is coming from. You can know that everything you are buying comes directly from Sarah Green and that everything is organic. Another important aspect of the local farmers market is that you are able to put a face to the name of the person you are buying the product from. CSAs are much more personal for both the suppliers and the consumers. All of these aspects are represented in this image. It shows why local CSAs are so appealing.

"Calvin and Hobbes" is my absolute favorite comic strip. I think this strip in particular is important because it reminds us that, while we focus so much on wealth and power, perhaps there are other ways in which we can find happiness. Owning everything doesn't have to be the centerpiece of our lives.