Hosting a Market Is Just the First Step: Exploring the Relationship Between Community Characteristics and Farmers Market Size

Background: Farmers markets (FMs) are often hailed as a mechanism to improve sustainability and equity within the food system. The current literature, however, has left unexamined an important question: Are differences in the size and scope of FMs related to socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods where they are located? Methods: Drawing on public data and an original survey of FM key agents, this study explores the types of goods offered and number of vendors present at 561 FMs across 9 U.S. states. Results: Regression analysis finds that FMs in neighborhoods that differ in key respects offer similarly diverse types of goods. But the socioeconomic status of, and proportion of White residents in, neighborhoods hosting an FM are positively related to the number of vendors present. Models also point to specific organizational best practices for FMs that can increase vendor numbers and types of goods. Substantial equity exists for types of goods at FMs across neighborhoods. Clear inequity in FM size as measured by number of vendors, however, calls for further research into how social factors shape FM depth, and how programs and policies can be used to make access to large FMs more equal. Conclusion: Access to FMs is multidimensional and should not be reduced to just FM location. Initiatives aimed at expanding FMs that already exist in low-income non-White neighborhoods may help to reduce disparities in access to healthy food at FMs.