An article in today’s Jacksonville Business Journal reports on the growing popularity of farmers markets. Many residents of Jacksonville, Florida, like people elsewhere, are showing greater interest in locally grown food and in reducing their driving.

As they flock to the area’s farmers markets in search of fresh local produce, however, a new problem is emerging, which markets in other areas may also face: not enough local growers.

The article Harvesting business: Farmers markets a growing trend observes that established farmers markets in the Jacksonville area are expanding and new markets are opening to meet increasing demand. As markets extend their hours, however, there is a risk that there will not be enough farmers to go around.

Jimmy Orth, the executive director of the environmental organization St. Johns Riverkeeper, encountered this problem while working with others to expand farmers markets in part of the Jacksonville area:

“There’s a growing interest in local agriculture, but you need more farmers to meet the demand.”

Orth maintains that farmers markets will probably become a necessity as food prices keep rising, indicating a need for active efforts to encourage local food production.

Similar to the local foods seminar offered as part of the Miami Valley Grown program in Ohio that I highlighted recently, a new course called Growing Growers offered by the University of Florida Extension Service is seeking to prepare landholders to grow and sell crops for local markets.

Such steps may be just the beginning of what is needed in order to make a successful transition to a way of life in which far more production takes place locally.

Evan

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