You may think you’re doing your part by making purchases at your local farmers’ market but after completing an in-depth study of 70 farmers’ markets across B.C., University of Northern B.C. professor David Connell said more can be done.
“Farmers’ markets are experiencing steady growth – due in part to the ‘buy local’ movement – but when we look at how much money the average household spends at a farmers’ market as a portion of their overall food budget, it actually represents an extremely small amount,” Connell said. “As we respond to global tariffs, if, on average, households committed to spending just one per cent of their overall food budget at a farmers’ market, it would double the impact on local food supplies.”
Connell will present findings from his province-wide study, which includes 11,500 shopper surveys and interviews with 350 market-goers, at the upcoming Congress 2025 in Toronto.
Connell will discuss the critical role farmers’ markets play in local economies as well as the power consumers have to impact local food systems simply through choices they make. Although the study indicated steady growth in the number of people shopping at farmers’ markets — 14 per cent from 2012 to 2023 culminating in more than $155 million in annual direct sales in B.C.— he is quick to point out they still account for only 0.5 per cent of an average family’s food budget.
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