The Farmers Markets of the Future

When people come to the realization that our modern food system simply is not healthy, they want to find food that is as close to nature as possible- sustainably grown and harvested by a farmer that they trust. Even if you live in a state where local food is hard to find, you may have noticed the increase in farmers markets in your area in recent years. The Farm to Table Movement is growing at a rapid pace as more and more people are beginning to care about the food they eat. On of my favorite campaign and activist inspired sites, TakePart, recently posted an article about the farmer’s market updates that we can expect to see in the near future. Perfect Supplement’s cannot wait to see these not-so-distant advances hit the sustainable food movement.

farmersmarketfutureblogMore Payment Options

It is not unlikely that more and more vendors will start having the capability to take credit and debit cards as a form of payment. With advances in phone technology, phone payments are not far-fetched either. Larger, more established Farmer’s Markets and vendors have already started accepted forms of electronic payment. Some Farmer’s Markets even accept SNAP payments (formerly known as food stamps) and offer tips, tricks, and seedlings to SNAP members who wish to start their own gardens.

Online Directories and Social Media Updates

Many farms and vendors have already created social media pages for their products. Farms can post freshly picked pictures of the heirloom vegetables they plan to sell to instagram. Cheese and meat connoisseurs can post their weekly specials and prices to Facebook. Last but not least, entire Markets can use Twitter to post real time updates regarding events and complications such as rain. Many online directories of local food and farmer’s markets already exist. In Rhode Island, we have a website called Farm Fresh RI. It is likely that more directories will be available in the near future.

Mobile Farmers Marketsberries1

This concept is so cool! According to TakePart, “Mobile farmers markets are geared toward bringing fresh, local, affordable produce to people living in food deserts—underserved urban neighborhoods and rural towns in which fast-food restaurants and convenience stores supplant grocery stores and other sources of healthful food.” Mobile farmers markets are bringing food to people who would otherwise not be able to find fresh food. If this isn’t fresh thinking, I don’t know what is!

Seedlings, Branding, and Volume Discounts

seedlingsMany farmers market vendors now sell seedlings which market goers can purchase to plant in their own gardens and on their own farms. If you haven’t seen this at your local market, you can probably expect to see it in the near future. Other advances we can expect to see include branding and volume discounts. Branded and labeled meats, dairy products, and homemade goods will probably become more popular as farmers markets continue to increase in popularity. Many pastured meat vendors already offer bulk and discount pricing, but we may get to experience bulk pricing on a variety of market goods in the near future.

Does your farmer market already have some of these advances? If so, which ones. If not, what are you looking forward to in the future? Join the conversation in the comments below.


Comments are disabled for this post