"In the end, farmers markets are about community relationships-between farmers and consumers, managers and vendors, government agencies and managers, or community organizations/businesses and market boards. They are complex and dynamic. They are what both make farmers markets so inviting and wonderful, and what burn some managers (and markets) out. But, if I were a betting woman, I'd say farmers markets are here to stay. Dr. Stephenson's contribution with this book allows us, whether we are managers, researchers, farmers or eaters, to understand how all community members can work in concert, to make this institution a healthy and vibrant part of a sustainable food system." - Gail Feenstra, Food Systems Analyst, Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program/Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California, Davis

Garry Stephenson is an associate professor at Oregon State University. He is Coordinator of the Small Farms Program which focuses on applied research and educational outreach to benefit small scale farmers. With advanced degrees in agriculture and anthropology, Dr. Stephenson occupies a unique niche spanning farming systems and social science. His interests include alternative agriculture production and marketing systems, community food systems, and agricultural development.

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. ADM, A Tomato Named Local Lucy, and Small Farms: The Ecology and the Reemergence of Farmers' Markets

Two Food Streams

An Applied and Ecological Approach to Enhancing Farmers' Markets

Two Food Streams Redux: "What if We Looked at the World as One Giant Farm Field?"

Two Food Streams Redux: "Start a Revolution with a Tomato"

The Literature of Farmers' Markets

August Vignette

Chapter 2. The Nature of Farmers' Markets

Mobile and Al Fresco

Producers and Products

Chapter 3. Ninety Years of Oregon's Farmers' Markets

An Inventory of Markets and the External Influences on Their Growth and Decline

Counting Farmers' Markets––An Oregon Inventory

Getting a Handle on Community Building

Chapter 4. Planning for the Future: What to Expect as a Farmers' Market Increases in Size

Farmers' Market Management and Organization

A Pre-Summary of Key Findings

Organizational Structure and Market Size Categories

Chapter 5. When Things Don't Work: Some Insights into Why Farmers' Markets Close

Market Dynamics

Resources, Success, and Failure

A Few Insights into Markets that Close

Additional Concerns Related to Market Failure

Chapter 6. It's Harder than It Looks: The Agro-Social-Economic-Regulatory Ecology of Oregon's Farmers' Markets

Ecological Influences and Farmers' Markets

Characteristics of Good Farmers' Markets

Integration of the Market Model

November Vignette

Chapter 7. Concluding Observations and Recommendations

A Broad Discussion of This Research

Summary of Findings in a Political Ecology Framework

Recommendations

Appendix

A. Research Methods

References

Index