3 Reasons Why Farmers Markets Matter!

I was raised on a farm and have worked at farmers markets for many years.

What I discovered on my side of the table were the lessons children could learn working behind the counter — rules of basic commerce, confidence through interacting with adults, and the cultivation of presence and self-leadership. I’d hire friends, knowing that working at the market would often lift them out of depression. I learned how to create and nurture a community.

But this post is not about my side of the table. These are the three reasons why farmers markets matter.

1) Healthy communities are best built through small commerce.

At a farmers market, rural meets urban. Two differing perspectives come together. Because of this, sharp edges of being are softened, and more color enters our outlook. We’re asked to interact with people we might not normally meet. Social anxiety eases. We find ourselves a little more out in the world, even though the world has come to us. Our lives feel a bit safer because of that. And we look forward to the next interaction, as awkward as it might sometimes feel.

2) Being one handshake away from your food source means you are two handshakes away from God.

It isn’t Costco, Fred Meyer, or King Supers. You are one handshake away from someone’s sweat…