By Jenn Burka
Markets where farmers sell the food they grow are not a new concept. Back before big agribusiness and international food trade, markets were the standard way of buying daily staples. The modern concept of farmers’ markets stemmed from both a renewed interest in fresh, local food and a desire to support small family farmers faced with the challenge of competing against farming tycoons.
The Gardena farmers’ market in Southern California, which opened in 1979, may have been the first modern day farmers’ market. Since then, the concept of farmers’ markets has taken off, and in the past fifteen years, the number of markets in the US has increased substantially:
Food Day DC 