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The book explores historic trends related to growth and decline in market numbers, it examines the management organization associated with markets of specific sizes, it looks at the characteristics and issues associated with markets that fail, and it offers a model that illustrates how farmers’ market organizers successfully adapt to barriers and challenges in their environments. Although the focus of this research is on one area in the United States, the findings have broad application.
The research has an applied orientation; that is, the findings provide the foundation for recommendations regarding market organization and planning that may enhance the success and longevity of individual farmers’ markets. The research engages a “node” in the food system that has implications for the plight of small farmers and the social and economic life of communities. It focuses on a single thing that has possible implications for many things.
The methods utilized for this research included both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The approaches included a survey questionnaire, administered by telephone, of farmers’ market managers, as well as interviews, participant observation, and focus groups. Throughout the text, research informants’ identities have been withheld to protect anonymity. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized in a manner that improved the quality of data collected and triangulated findings to enhance their validity, leading to an accurate picture of farmers’ markets in Oregon.
As applied research, the data collection had a participatory approach that included a Project Advisory Committee composed of farmers’ market managers and focus groups of research participants. The Project Advisory Committee helped formulate research questions, and they reviewed and critiqued the findings. The focus groups provided reaction to and synthesis of initial findings. The research approaches maintained a practical grounding and problem orientation to the research project. Details of research methods are provided in the Appendix.
Overview of The Book
Chapter 1, “ADM, a Tomato Named Local Lucy, and Small Farms: The Ecology and Reemergence of Farmers’ Markets,” reviews the literature related to this study.