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Finally, Stephenson adds a sparkle to his scholarship through the vibrant descriptions of activities that take place at markets. Writing as an anthropologist would record all the details of daily life in a community, Garry shares all the sights, sounds, and smells of several markets. You can almost feel and taste the tart apples being offered to a customer, or feel the cold, dripping rain run off market canopies onto the head of a vendor. He describes shoppers, young and old—some bargain-hunting, others mainly enjoying a cup of warm coffee and the stroll through the market, others still trying to navigate the market with strollers or with arms loaded with lugs of fresh strawberries. These descriptions remind the reader that these markets are not theoretical constructs or units of analysis, but live, busy places that are part of community life.
In the end, farmers’ markets are about community relationships—between farmers and consumers, managers and vendors, government agencies and managers, or community organizations/businesses and market boards. These relationships are complex and dynamic. They are both what make farmers’ markets so inviting and wonderful, and what burn some managers (and markets) out. But, if I were a betting woman, I’d say farmers’ markets are here to stay. Stephenson’s contribution with this book allows us, whether we are managers, researchers, farmers, or eaters, to understand how all community members can work in concert to make this institution a healthy and vibrant part of a sustainable food system.
Gail Feenstra
Food Systems Analyst Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program/Agricultural Sustainability Institute University of California, Davis