Expanding Access and Alternatives: Building Farmers’ Markets in Low-Income Communities

Although farmers’ markets are the most widespread and visible of the diverse alternative agrifood institutions that have emerged over the past three decades, inequalities of class and geography limit their accessibility and availability to economically vulnerable populations. In this article, I examine the problems and prospects of establishing farmers’ markets that serve low-income customers. Creating such markets is complicated, requiring interplay between community-based efforts and government policies. To illustrate, I draw on a case study of alternative institution-building in Louisville, Kentucky. The account is framed in a review of the policies and political protagonism that have contributed to farmers’ markets as sites for enhancing food access.