This project will examine strategies for implementing farmers’ markets in low-income communities, as well as barriers that need to be addressed to improve the viability of markets in these areas. This research will combine case study analysis and examination of a wide array of existing data collected by Project for Public Spaces (PPS) grantees, each of whom have implemented a variety of strategies to enhance the sustainability and community impact of the market. Specifically, this study seeks to address the following research questions: (1) what strategies are most effective in developing financially sustainable farmers’ markets in low- to moderate-income communities?, (2) what characteristics are most effective in attracting low-income and minority community shoppers to these markets?, and (3) how does youth-oriented farmers’ market programming affect orientation to healthy eating among children and families?
Start Date: September 2008
ID #: 65049
Principal Investigator: Stephen Davies, MArch
Co-Principal Investigator: Kathryn Neckerman, PhD
Organization: Project for Public Spaces
Funding Round: Round 3
Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Adults and Families, Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Keywords: Community setting, Farmers' markets, Fruits and vegetables, Urban
States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Washington, Wisconsin
Focus Area: Food Access
Resource Type: Grant Summary
Race/Ethnicity: Multi-racial/ethnic
Related Research
September 2025
Food Insecurity-Related Stigma Among Adults in the United States: A Scoping Review
This review aimed to characterize individual- and structural-level stigma associated with government (ie, SNAP, WIC) and emergency food program (ie, food banks, pantries, cupboards, soup kitchens) utilization in the US. 5 databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts) were searched in June 2024. The review included peer-reviewed articles (January 2004 – June 2024), MoreAugust 2025
Resources to Improve Implementation of the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System
This guide contains training materials, resources, tips, and examples of practices to help food banks improve the implementation of Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. To create this guide, the research team interviewed people working in food banks across the country to learn how they approach ranking foods using the MoreAugust 2025