Farmers’ markets
Today and tomorrow many thousands of New Zealanders will be visiting their local farmers markets around the country, neatly skirting around New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly, and trading directly with the people who grow their food.
Radio New Zealand’s Country Life currently has an interesting podcast documentary on the Hamilton Farmers’ Market, which is giving small growers in the Waikato a unique opportunity to supply fresh healthy produce direct to locals.
A couple of years ago, farmers’ market and small business researcher Dr Alan Cameron defined a farmers’ market as:
‘One in which farmers, growers and producers from a local area are present in person to sell their own products directly to the public. All of the products sold should be grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed by the stallholder. Less quantifiably, farmers’ markets place an emphasis on quality and freshness and provide a vibrant atmosphere to make shopping a more social experience…
The essence of a farmers’ market, he says, is “buy local, eat seasonal, enjoy high quality food”.
Bll McKibben, in his latest book, Deep Economy, notes that people who shop at local farmers’ markets have ten times more conversations while shopping than people who shop at supermarkets. Which, I guess undermines the theory about supermarkets being the place to go to score.
Cameron says farmers’ markets are giving people more control over the food they eat:
Supermarkets threaten to engulf other forms of retailing by combining the scale of the market with the convenience of the shop, but in recent years there has been a quiet counter-revolution. One of the driving forces is the increasing demand for better food and information about that food, by increasingly discerning consumers.
Sue Bradford recently announced that Buy Kiwi Made programme is helping to fund farmers’ markets to develop a major national initiative to promote New Zealand made and grown products through a system of authentication for the goods sold at markets, and the provision of better information for shoppers.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
3 polls under 5%..
i at 9%..
which is the aberration..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
January 26th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Until the well being of all citizens being able to afford to eat good food as a citizen right is a reality, everything else is just window dressing.
It’s great that politicians and others in society that enjoy such consumer benefits from salarys of those levels are able to enjoy such benefits; but the information made available and promoted by “Democrats for Social Credit” towards those ends, coming from completely outside the box and going as it does completely against the programming wisdom of our all consuming debt based finance system, wasn’t just for the benefit of having sharper looking talking heads on t.v. etc
Until the increased vitality of politicians and those of priviledge is reflected in NZ society by good food for all, it is crap, despite being worth more in polling numbers of say 50% for a large segment of the population who seem willing to vote for sweet nothings from spokespeople who don’t now look so decrepit.
The National Dividend of anti-inflationary money paid out to each individual citizen as their inheritance of the shared bounty of the land, which can go along way to establishing such rights for all in New Zealand society as DSC has always advocated, is about $14699 per head for over 4 million citizens according to the latest data.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Phil, Please enlighten me. What has your post got to do with Farmers Markets and local produce?
Likewise, Even, I just don’t get your point.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
nowhere else to post it..
a way of getting around/past the heavy (self)-censorship on frogblog..
which takes the form of ‘we don’t talk about that around here..’
(seeing as you asked..)
but you have something to say about farmers markets..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
January 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Farmers markets certainly are a great way to meet people and share in an atmosphere of good food, produce and music/creativity.
However, as ‘Even’ (possibly) says, such markets can be a place for well to do folk to rub elbows, assuage some guilt and perhaps even revel in a smug feeling of ‘green-ness’ as they consume products out of reach for most of the great unwashed. At some point, with our current reality of burgeoning inflation, the hunger of the proles will come back to bite them on the bum.
Golden Bay is a curious place. It is blessed with reasonably clement climate and not too impoverished soils, coupled with an apparent alternative lifestyle culture, yet there is no farmers market. There are two small markets which simultaneously compete each Saturday vying for the attentions of (the now diminishing, petroreliant) summer holidayers. There are few produce stalls, and most of those drive in from over Takaka hill. The freshchoice supermarket has a monopoly, and the two cafes have a duopoly… to the extent that when a bunch of enthusiastic young hippies bring vibrance to the market with many stalls selling a plethora of home made healthy treats at realistic prices, the businesses in their greed find it necessary to send in the regulators. In my opinion markets will always be lacking whilst current conditions persist, which they won’t, then it will be better, if somewhat more desperate.
January 27th, 2008 at 12:34 am
I love my local organic farmers’ market. We get top quality fresh fruit and vegetables as well as our dairy and egg products. Buying locally means having access to much fresher produce than the supermarkets stock as well as providing an income to those who put in the hard work to provide us with good quality food at a reasonable price.
I’ve just started reading “The Plain Reader”, a collection of essays from “Plain” magazine which has links to the Luddite and Amish communities. I’m currently reading an essay by a Christian organic farmer from Ohio whose family all pull together to tend the farm. In their community, food is viewed as providing spiritual as well as physical sustenance as it brings the family together when they plant, tend and harvest and it brings their community together as they sell their harvest at the local farmers’ market to their neighbours and others in their community, acting as a social enabler as well as a way to trade goods for money.
You very rarely get the interactions typified by farmers’ markets in a supermarket setting. Not only is the grower absent but the staff aren’t paid to chat and everyone wants to get in, get their food and get out as soon as possible. Social interactions are limited to chatting in the carpark or at a nearby café with trolleys full of groceries.
While the supermarkets still provide me with some items that I can’t get at my local market (or organic specialty shops) I wouldn’t trade the bus trip and hauling of a granny trolley for supermarket food monoculture.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Anybody know a good way to stop caulis from getting sunburnt? Can I just peg a coupe of leaves together over the top or do they need to be able to “breathe”?
I buy my veges at the Warehouse. I find the ones that are “reduced to clear” generally crop a month later than the ones at the regular price. It’s a bit tricky to get the brocolli picking exactly right. Spuds are great, they pop up all over the place and don’t seem to need looking after. Just need lots of friends to give them away to.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:37 am
slip slap slop..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
January 27th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Do farmers markets pay rates?
Do farmers markets have to abide by ridiculous OSH laws?
Do farmers markets pay the minimum wage (or any wage at all Sue B)?
Do farmers markets pay tax?
Do farmers markets pay GST?
Do farmers markets have union representation?
I would be willing to wager that most do none of the above, this MUST be difficult for left wing supporters to deal with….or does your dislike of big business mean that you can live with the double standard?
Farmers markets should have to abide by exactly the same rules as the rest who set up in business otherwise they are nothing more than parasites or scabs.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
bb, You should check the relevant laws before making rash bets. Only one of the above questions can be answered in the negative.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Phil
I am worried too, but there is not much I can do about it. There really aren’t any other places for a committed green.
Just have to keep plugging away at it.
respectfully
BJ
January 28th, 2008 at 10:48 am
As I noted in the Aussie supermarket duopoly comes under the spotlight topic (link), I’m not convinced that “New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly” is a bad thing, or that we would do better if there were more players in the market.
Of course, I may be completely wrong, but without a meaningful comprehensive numerical analysis (which would be a massive undertaking) I believe that the question is a long way from being answered.
I do like the pancakes I can get on a Sunday morning from the local farmers market, other than that, I can’t recall buying anything…
January 28th, 2008 at 11:51 am
big bro,
As afr as I am aware, a farmer is a business person and must abide by all the relevant tax laws, certainly gst, income tax, lawful wage rates, OSH requirements, rates on their land.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
worst idea ever! how can they not realize people try to hook up in supermarkets rather than the traditional bars etc. precisely because it is a non-overt singles market - they want to get away from the pressure & hussle that surrounds the formal “singles scene”. they want to be able to spot people whose consumption indicates similar lifestyles or aspirations & then to slip easily into conversation using product-based chit chat as ice breakers.
now all of this is to be taken away from them as underlying every ice-breaking comment there will now be the ulterior dialogue “can we shag? can we shag? can we shag?” as plain as if spoken out loud - and all the pressure to establish sexual viability within a fleeting time span.
i predict the sort of people who regarded supermarkets as a place to score will stay away from the “singles nights” - as will most respectable people.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
cauliflowers are not supposed to be grown in the heat of summer, that could be half your problem
leaves covering them is fine - i prefer to buy them completely enclosed in leaf since it prevents degradation, but perhaps the availability of the flower in this condition depends on the time of day it is harvested?
the leaves aren’t like plastic bags which prevent breathing, they are water-filled organic protection for the flower.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/protabase/Photfile%20Images/Brassic a%20oleracea%20Cortes%2005NL-SG%204134.jpg
the picture on the left is how i like it, & that site also conveys this information:
http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&BU=ht tp%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=AND&QF0=Spe cies+Code&QI0=Brassica+oleracea+cauliflower+and+broccoli&RF=Webdisplay
January 29th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Thanks for the info Andrew. I’ve never had this problem in the past. I think I might have planted them too far away from the shade of the fruit trees.