1. Farmers Markets in the
Planner’s Toolbox

2. Purpose
• Farmers Market Renaissance
• Explore the intersections…
 to planning priorities
 role for Planners
 make Great Main Streets

3. If you remember one thing…
• Farmers Markets can be a flexible,
cost-effective, self-reliant, self-
propelled and fun tool to accomplish
________________
?
(fill in the blank)

4. Agenda
• Why all the excitement?
• What are the benefits?
• How can Markets be a tool for
Planners?
• What are the development
challenges?
• Planner’s role in development

5. Glossary or Terms
• Farmers’ Market
• Farm Market
• Public Market
• Community Market

6. Glossary or Terms
• Farmers’ Market
• Farm Market
• Public Market
• Community Market

7. Glossary or Terms
• Farmers’ Market
• Farm Market
• Public Market
• Community Market

8. Glossary or Terms
• Farmers’ Market
• Farm Market
• ublic Market
P
• Community Market

9. Why all the excitement?
• Renaissance
• 30+ markets
operating in 2010
(12 under FMNS)
• Major market
developments
• Continental trend

10. Why?

12. Trends
• Aging Population
• Health
• Convenience
• Variety
• Pleasure
• Value/Price Conscious
• Environment
• Information and Awareness

13. Meaning
• Does more really equal better?
• THAT is what goes into pet food?
• Where is this spinach from?
• Who picked this tomato?
• How much were they paid?
• Is this the best tasting cinnamon bun?
• So if I spend my $ here….?
• Who are my neighbours?

14. What are the benefits?
• Incubate new businesses
• Foster a sense of community
• Health & Wellness
• Create great places
• Connect urban and rural
• Build food security and resilience
• Agriculture in transition
• Direct & Indirect Economic Impact

15. Business Incubation
• Low cost / low risk point of entry
• Test idea/market
• Either growing or shrinking
• Move from market to storefront
• Self-Employment and
Supplemental income trend

17. Aunt Annie’s Pretzels
• 1988 at a farmer's
market in Pennsylvania
• 900 locations
• 17 countries
• 1 bil pretzels served

18. Sense of Community
• Anchor for communities in flux
• Decline in traditional institutions/
emerging institution
• “Bring people together”
• Social interactions: (per visit)
 -2 in a grocery store
1
 5-20 at Farmers Market
1

19. • Create places for
people to gather
• Enable mixing of
diverse ethnic, cultural,
& age groups
• Encourage sense of
pride & volunteerism

20. Health & Wellness
What
could be
there?
What is
there?
What How to
isn’t get
there? there?

21. Great Places
• New life to
underused spaces
• Reduce crime and
perceived security
by bringing people
together
• Create engaging
walking environment

23. Urban & Rural Connections
• Literally brings the
country to the city
• Agriculture and food
awareness
• Gets farmers in
touch with customers
• Serves both rural
and urban residents

24. Food Security & Resilience
• Sufficient, Reliable, Nutritious,
Safe, Culturally Appropriate,
Sustainable, Socially Just &
Environmentally Sound
• able to adjust, respond and
adapt to stresses and
opportunities – energy,
climate, financial,
demographic, etc…

25. Agriculture in Transition
• Most primary agricultural
producers are experiencing
profitability challenges
• We are high cost, high quality
• Direct Marketing is an
opportunity to capture a
greater portion of the food
dollar, get close to the
customer and adapt to
demands

26. Halifax Farmers
Market accounts
for 50% of sales,
but 90% of farm
profits

27. Creative Food
• Direct, Artisan,
Differentiated
• Prince Edward County
• Tourism, Place-Based
• Small Enterprise
• Anti Wal-Mart

28. Economic Impact
• $1.03 Bil in Direct Sales in Canada
• $3.06 Bil in total economic impact
Farmers Markets Canada 2009

29. Wealth Retention
• Plugs the bucket
• Keeps dollars circulating
• Develop local specialties
Wealth Attraction
• Tourism
• Value added
• Branding a Community
• Investment

30. Are Markets a draw for
Downtowns?
• YES (but…)
• 80% or respondents
indicate that the
Weekend Market is the
primary reason for
being Downtown
• Weekday Markets are
a unique draw for only
25-45% of shoppers
Oregon State Extension
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu

31. That all sounds great…. but how
does this involve Planners?

32. Revisit the benefits
• Incubate new businesses
• Foster a sense of community
• Health & Wellness
• Create great places
• Connect urban and rural
• Build food security and resilience
• Agriculture in transition
• Direct & Indirect Economic Impact

33. Main Street Planning Objectives
• Managing sprawl
• Community Sustainability
• Talent Magnet
• Welcoming newcomers
• Nurturing Arts and Culture
• Inspiring great urban design

34. Sprawl
• Viable Farms =
Farmland Preservation
• Markets in Downtowns
can be a unique
attraction, be a
catalyst for renewal
and investment
• Create Main Streets in areas
without downtowns

35. Design as the ultimate signal of
human intentions
cars people

36. Community Sustainability
• Carbon emissions / Food miles
• Air & Water Quality / Preserving
farmland and open space
• Sustainable Practices / Direct Marketing
• Demonstration Projects

37. Talent Magnet
• If all adults aged 15-99 were
working (full employment), there
would still be a shortage of 3.9M
workers in 2022.
• Talent war for trades, innovators,
knowledge, investors, medical,
everyone

38. • A Cool City is as important or
more important than a good job.
• Choose city first, then find work
• Vitality, Earning, Learning Social
Capital, Cost of Lifestyle, After
Hours Fun, Around Town

39. Welcoming Newcomers
• Entrepreneurship opportunities
• 24 1st gen immigrant business
at Halifax Farmers Market
• Opportunity to buy ethnic foods
• Used to public markets in
previous home
• Easy opportunity to get to know
the community

40. Nurturing Arts and Culture
• Markets are home to
Artists, Artisans, Potters,
Musicians, Magicians and
Performers.
• New talent
• Culture of creativity
• Experience and attraction

41. Inspiring Great Design
• Demonstrate and inspire
• Few opportunities to start public spaces
from scratch
• Includes so many (proverbial)
intersections

42. Why are markets effective tools?
• Cost Effective (modest investment or support)
• Generate Revenue
• Within municipal realm of influence
• Happening on their own
• Community support, organizations,
volunteers and community capital
• Many different angles/appeals
• Good news story and photo ops
• Doable!

43. Status Symbol

44. Sweat Equity!

45. Easier to surf with the wave
than against it!

46. Challenges
• Spontaneous, unplanned,
emotionally driven
• Low-cost to set-up,
therefore trial and error
• High rate of failure
• Volunteer and/or vendor
driven
• Very lean (revenues and
management)

47. Private/Public Interest?
• Many contradictions
• Development and management falls on a
few volunteers or community organization
• A business or an institution?
• Direct economic benefits to vendors pale in
comparison to short and long term public
benefits (future vendors, civic square,
community development, arts space)
• Levels of government are often funders, but
not long term partners?

49. The Planner’s Role in Public
Market Development
Expertise:
• Public Participation
• Technical assistance (parking,
urban design, traffic, zoning)
• Balancing the Public Interest
• Inclusion in Municipal Planning
processes and considerations

50. Review
• Farmers Market Renaissance
• Explore the intersections…
 to planning priorities
 role for Planners
 make Great Main Streets

51. Question…
• How do you see Farmers Markets
as a tool to accomplish
____________ ?
(fill in the blank)
?

52. Contact info
Jamey Coughlin
Business Development Specialist
NS Department of Agriculture
902 896 7088
coughljp@gov.ns.ca