We enjoy the presence of various
institutions in our societies. Some of these institutions act as political,
economic or social institutions. Currently, the Farmers Market is one of the
most important institutions I have ever been introduced to, and probably the
most notable socio-economic institution I have ever visited. Anyone who has
ever visited this market would agree with me that its uniqueness in terms of
items offered coupled with diversity of vendors is mind blowing. And if you
haven’t visited it yet, then this piece of writing might give you the urge of
giving it a shot. First and foremost, it is important to know that every
Saturday Morning and Wednesday afternoon (summer time) in Guelph, Ontario, hundreds
of buyers throng the Market to buy farm fresh produce of high quality directly
from the farmers (producers) which they can’t find anywhere else and the
atmosphere of the marketplace itself is so tranquil—an opportunity all buyers
dearly love. The presence of the Farmers Market attracts a few people in the
area turning once-deserted areas to be once more inhabitable; attracting
businesses and employment opportunities. It is not a surprise that I am
currently a new customer—thanks to the ECVONTARIO project. I just couldn’t
vividly comprehend how it happened but after the completion of my three times
visit of study in this market, I was left with I must-come-back feeling”
because there’s something I have realized about the sellers which makes them
unique. During my visit to the market, I would always try to buy some
vegetables and other products that caught my attention, and chat with the
farmers as well. This made me realized and appreciates the great zest sellers
(farmers) possess. These farmers love the farmers market. They love it because a
lot of them have the Farmers Market as the only exciting place where they
connect with their customers who love what they (farmers) produce, sell and appreciate
their work by always buying their produce. This therefore makes Farmers market a
source of income for farmers and creates a sense of community.
But as mentioned early, little did
I know that Farmers Market just feels like home until I joined the ECVONTARIO
Team of researchers and later assigned the duty of gathering University of Guelph
students’ perceptions about the Farmers Market. This is a task I really relished.
I was beyond thrilled to survey the
students not only because it was an opportunity to meet and interact with them
but also very important to the project and the future of local agricultural
production since students represent current and future farmers and consumers
not only in Ontario but Canada. Students’ diversity in knowledge and
backgrounds also makes them a good representative of the entire population. To
get the opinions of the students, I had to organize trips to the Farmers Market
for three consecutive weeks where I had to openly talk with any student that I
found at the market, to ask them about why they choose to buy their vegetables
there. I also had an open group discussion with some of the students I found in
classes, library, and school cafeterias.
The most interesting finding from
the study was the existing disparity between the number of students that know about
the FM and those willing to purchase from there. Students cited reasons such high
prices” charged by the vendors/producers and Saturday should be their “rest day”. Like anyone else out there who loves buying
farm fresh produce mostly provided by the Farmers Market, students are like
that too. A lot of the students who participated in this study don’t like
“over-industrialized foods” provided by superstores. But the irony is that they
choose purchasing their groceries at superstores than at the Farmers Market.
Reason being that the high prices from the FM cited early make groceries from
the FM rather unaffordable to most students. This leaves us students with no
choice but to purchase our groceries from multinational corporations although
we (students) are aware that groceries from the superstore are low quality
compared to the Famers Market’s: a clear case of choosing quantity over
quality. And the argument that students love the Farmers market but choose to
purchase their groceries from superstores than FM itself is supported by some
of the reasons highlighted below which were put forth by students themselves
during their groups discussions:
·
One of the
most unappreciated local activities you can do is to buy local food. Not only
does buying local support our own economy, and our own people, it is
environmentally friendly and much better for your own health, regardless of
age, sex or cultural affiliation. Students contrasted buying local from buying
from a superstore by asserting that: When you buy your produce, or meat from a supermarket, you are buying food that is
often grown in poor conditions, through environmentally harmful ways, and then
harvested to early and thrown on trucks to be driven across the plane.
·
Whether organic or not, local food can be
picked ripe and eaten fresh. This yields more nutrients and less harmful
preservatives, meaning that you will feel energized, live longer, and prevent
disease. Besides the obvious personal benefits of fresh foods, this food is
better for the environment.
·
Even for you carnivores out there, fresh
local meat is much tastier when free-range (i.e. this isn’t no-frills cardboard
flavored chicken) and much better for you without all the steroids, hormones
and antibiotics needed for industrial farming practices. Plus the vegans can
approve because the animals live happier and healthier lives
These quotations make me feel that not
only do we (students) need ECV (local vegetables), but we also need other food
locally produced. We need fresh, quality and authentic food/vegetables. We need a food that creates a long lasting
relationship with us; a food from home; that tastes like home. But the price
hikes and poor availability of ECV at the FM is making it hard to enjoy them.
Prepared by:
Kur Mayen
Undergraduate Research Assistant
ECVOntario, SEDRD
University of Guelph
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