Downtowns Harvest Farmers Markets

The spin-off business and social buzz that farmers markets bring to downtowns threatened by suburbanization and big box malls is spurring municipalities, chambers of commerce, and downtown groups to sponsor a growing number of farmers markets across the country. There’s a growing movement, too, among farmers market advocates to share ideas and lobby for public policy to strengthen both markets and the communities that host them. The number of farmers markets nationwide more than doubled between 1994 and 2004 — from 1,755 to 3,700.