Do farmers’ markets help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Many articles claim that farmer’s markets help the environment because of the fewer food miles travelled from farm to fork. Is this true? A recent Newscientist article, which discusses how your dietary choices affect your carbon footprint, says that buying local food maybe less important than other factors:

"Household greenhouse gas emissions from food account for almost twice those produced by driving. Most of this comes from the food production process itself, rather than food-miles, as is often believed." Trivedi 2008

Trivedi goes on to state that 83% of emissions come from food production, whereas only 11% comes from transporting the food from farm to fork. A food's emission total is calculated by including the following:

"the tilling of the land, sowing the crops, making fertilisers and pesticides, harvesting the food and shipping it to processing plants, as well as electricity for cleaning, processing and packing your food, and finally transporting it to your store. Finally, the loss of carbon sinks when forests are cleared for grazing or crops has to be accounted for."

Farmers' Markets Canada - Economic Impact Study 2009 Brochure

Farmers Markets Canada (FMC), a national organization dedicated to promoting farmers' markets across the country, recently published on their web site a summary brochure of The National Farmers’ Market Impact Study 2009 Report.

According to the FMC, the research was conducted by Experience Renewal Solutions Inc. with support from David J. Connell, an assistant Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia. The report's purpose was, "to be a baseline study that would serve as a benchmark for measuring the contributions of farmers’ markets across Canada as well as to assess trends and opportunities for future growth."

The brochure is clearly a marketing tool for the FMC to further their agenda. This is demonstrated by the glaringly large title stating "$3.09 billion," followed by, "That’s why it makes sense to support farmers’ markets at a time when consumer demand for locally grown food is on the rise."

The brochure can be downloaded from the FMC's web site in both french and english. Unfortunately, the full report is not available online.

Farmers’ Markets Ontario Impact Study 2009 Report

Farmers Markets' Ontario (FMO) commissioned the FMO Impact Study 2009 Report to understand the growth, changes and opportunities for the farmers' market movement in Ontario. The study has four main goals: a market census, an economic impact study, a profile of the provinces markets, and an analysis of the barriers and opportunities.

I haven't found a link to the full report, but you can click here to download the summary report (PDF). Also, the Peterborough Examiner published an article entitled Demand for farmers' markets growing: study, which mentions the Impact Study.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Below I've started a collection of Canadian newspaper and magazine articles with a focus on farmers' markets. I'm only including articles that discuss larger trends and multiple markets.

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Welcome to your own backyard
by Margaret Webb
May 31, 2008 - Globe and Mail

Excerpt: "Forget Provence. Culinary tourists with a conscience are demanding goodies closer to home. Say, just down the road. Margaret Webb reports on the boom in gourmet travel in Southern Ontario and explores the hinterland's next foodie frontier."


A flood of farmers’ markets
by Diane Peters
August 22, 2008 - National Post

Excerpt: "TORONTO • Light rain begins to patter on the high metal roof over the Brick Works Farmers' Market. The cavernous space dotted with market stands is suddenly flush with customers who have dashed in from the nature walk, face painting table and cob-making workshop. The crowd is almost elbow-to-elbow, but not quite. There are lineups - well, short ones - to check out the organic meat, nab a bag of sprouts and wait for a bowl of spicy hot chic peas."

Farmers' Markets Canada (FMC): a new national organization is created | Feb 16-17: 1st Annual Conference in St. Catharines, ON

Farmers' Markets Canada (FMC) is a new national organization dedicated to promoting farmers' markets across the country. In November 2008 the new organization was given financial support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. According to FMC's web site, "the mission of FMC is to promote farmers' markets and develop national initiatives and partnerships to further the viability, growth and prosperity of the Canadian farmers' market industry."

I have a few questions regarding the new organization: how much influence does the federal government have in controlling the FMC's agenda and actions? What actions does the FMC plan to take in the next year? I'll keep this blog updated on new developments and the answers to those questions.

FMC 1st Annual Conference and AGM

The FMC will be hosting its first annual conference February 16th to 17th in St. St Catharines, ON. The FMC plans to release the publication of the "2008 Economic Impact Study of Canadian Farmers’ Markets" at the conference. More details on the conference are available in the FMC's October 2008 newsletter (PDF).