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Farmers markets play an important role within the local food system and the short food supply chain (SFSC); they promote economic development by connecting vendors, people, and community. While the number of farmers markets has increased dramatically since 1994, many markets fail, and it is unclear why. Little is known about the influence of leadership practices on the success and decline of farmers markets. This qualitative case study explored the influences of farmers market leadership and asked the question: How does leadership influence factors contributing to success and failure of farmers markets? The first objective explored patterns and trends contributing to the success and failure of farmers markets. The second objective analyzed farmers markets through the lens of leadership. The study explored findings through application of Jackson et al.'s (2018) Leadership Hexad, developed to help examine leadership within social enterprises. Adaptive leadership (Heifetz et al., 2009) and good-to-great leadership principles (Collins, 2011) provided additional depth and connections to multiple leadership perspectives. The study may be of interest to people involved in leading and working with social enterprises, such as farmers markets. Findings revealed surging operational changes, strong support of the short food supply chain (SFSC), and the need for stabilizing forces, such as a stable location and municipal support. The six lenses of Jackson et al.'s Leadership Hexad—person, position, process, performance, place, and purpose—generated additional findings. Topics include the influences of vendors, champions, and partnerships; the role of managers in supporting the community and entrepreneurship; the ambiguity of ownership when referring to farmers markets; planning for succession; surviving the startup phase; professionalizing farmers market management; co-constructing leadership with the community and vendors; evolving the purpose; and leveraging the purpose of farmers markets within the local food system. The recommendations for future practice include a professional development leadership pipeline oriented to actors in social enterprises, especially farmers markets. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Farmers markets play an important role within the local food system and the short food supply chain (SFSC); they promote economic development by connecting vendors, people, and community. While the number of farmers markets has increased dramatically since 1994, many markets fail, and it is unclear why. Little is known about the influence of leadership practices on the success and decline of farmers markets. This qualitative case study explored the influences of farmers market leadership and asked the question: How does leadership influence factors contributing to success and failure of farmers markets? The study used three leadership theories or frameworks for exploring farmers market leadership. The study may be of interest to people involved in working with social enterprises, such as farmers markets. Findings revealed surging operational changes, strong support of the SFSC, and the need for stabilizing forces, such as a stable location and municipal support. Additional topics include the influences of vendors, champions, and partnerships; the role of managers in supporting the community and entrepreneurship; the ambiguity of ownership when referring to farmers markets; planning for succession; surviving the startup phase; professionalizing farmers market management; co- constructing leadership with the community and vendors; evolving the purpose; and leveraging the purpose of farmers markets within the local food system. The recommendations for future practice include a professional development leadership pipeline oriented to actors in social enterprises, especially farmers markets.

Farmers markets (FM) have become increasingly popular almost tripling over the past two decades due to the rising interest in local and/or organic foods. Within this same time period, notable farmers market foodborne illness outbreaks; such as E. coli O157:H7 and strawberries and Salmonella and peas; have occurred, and emphasize the importance of food safety practices at farmers markets. Some farmers may be encouraged to follow Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to limit the contamination of fresh produce; however, GAPs programs are complex and also very driven by wholesale buyers. Furthermore, many FM growers are unfamiliar with GAPs or do not believe it is applicable to them. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed in 2011, and shifted the food safety paradigm from a reactive to proactive approach introducing seven different rules including the Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHFR) and the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Each FSMA rule does contain exemptions for smaller-scale operations (e.g., farms, facilities) that allows them to be excluded from the rule, or excluded from certain aspects of the rule. Generally, most FM vendors may satisfy exemptions from the FSMA regulations (e.g., be exempt from the FSMA Produce Safety Rule because of commodities); however, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed the regulatory compliance requirements of FM vendors to the FSMA regulations. This dissertation explored the regulatory requirements of FM vendors, and the accessibility of FSMA materials for these audiences. Additionally, due to the sudden and unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic, an objective was added that explored how COVID-19 influenced behavior changes among this audience. Interviews were conducted and found that all vendors (100%) were exempt from the PCHFR and that most vendors (67%) were exempt from the PSR, some were qualified exempt (28%), and a few (5%) were covered. This study also found that farmers market vendors received information mainly from University Cooperative Extension sources. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted hygiene and health practices at FMs. Market personnel (managers and vendors) implemented many different hygiene and health practices at their markets. The major source of COVID-19 food safety information for market personnel was local and federal government; as well as University Cooperative Extension. Accessibility analyses showed that many FM or COVID-19 resources were not accessible due to populations that rely on produce safety resources generated by Cooperative Extension due to (i) navigation or web accessibility errors, (ii) high literacy level requirements, and (iii) lack of keep (i.e., resources were not up-to-date, or continuously managed or monitored). These findings will inform the development of FM targeted resources, that are also, accessible to a more diverse and inclusive audience. One example is a produce safety resource on the updated agricultural water requirements that is developed to an 8th grade reading level, with no broken links or additional navigations errors, and if a PDF version is available, proper headers and titles. / Doctor of Philosophy / Farmers markets (FMs) have increased in popularity over the two decades with because of interest by consumers to support local agriculture, buy organic products, or because they believe these foods to be safer from bacteria and viruses. Shopping at a FMs does not necessarily make the products any safer compared to buying it from a grocery store. It is important that farmers markets follow proper food safety practices during the growing, harvesting, and preparation of produce for sale. One example is the prevention of animal feces from getting on the produce or in a water source that would be used. Another would be to follow proper hygiene practices such as handwashing after using the bathroom. These two examples and others are detailed in a law passed by President Obama in 2011 called the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which allows the Food and Drug Administration to begin its proactive instead of reactive food safety approach. FSMA does not have to be followed by all food entities. Depending on how much a farm makes in revenue (<$25,000) or if they grow products deemed as "not risky,", they may be exempt. These types of products such as potatoes, beets, and corn are safer because they will be cooked before consumption killing any bacteria or viruses that may exist. Other products such as romaine lettuce and tomatoes are usually consumed fresh without cooking and are thus riskier if there are any bacteria or viruses on it. Interviews were conducted to understand if farmers market vendors need to comply with FSMA. Most vendors are not required to follow FSMA because they gross less than $25,000 or their products were already covered by other food safety regulations such as meat being covered by the USDA. Additionally, how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced FMs was explored. Two surveys, one for vendors and one for managers, were distributed to stakeholders. FMs adapted really well to the challenging COVID-19 landscape and implemented COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing, mask wearing, and providing hand sanitizer and handwashing stations to continue to operate and keep their customers and employees safe. After understanding the characteristics and the unique challenges to food safety implementation that these market personnel may face, additional research was done to understand if currently available resources were accessible. Accessibility was evaluated using website and PDF accessibility checkers and a readability level checker. Resources should be easy to navigate and written to around a 8th grade level to make it easy to understand. There is a lack of well-crafted, accessible resources that address the unique challenges that farmers market personnel may face. These considerations should be considered when creating these materials.

Farmers’ markets have increasingly become a popular venue for purchase of fresh, locally-grown produce, with the number of farmers’ markets in Kentucky reaching an all-time high of 159 in 2016. Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) is a program created by the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service to function as a food safety audit for small-scale fresh produce growers, such as those who sell fresh produce at local farmers’ markets. However, under the provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, small-scale farmers who sell an average of $25,000 in annual fresh produce sales across the span of three years are exempt from mandatory food safety certification. Many smallscale farmers in Kentucky fall below this threshold, and do not hold food safety certification. This study had two objectives: to investigate the practices, perceptions, and implementation of GAPs among small-scale Kentucky farmers who sell at farmers’ markets; and to create and evaluate the effectiveness of commodity-specific informational factsheets to disseminate food safety knowledge among small-scale Kentucky farmers. Data from the perceptions, practices, and implementation survey were analyzed from 160 completed surveys of small-scale fresh produce growers on-site at farmers’ markets in 21 counties across the state of Kentucky (see Appendix A). The results were mixed, with 90% of participants indicated familiarity with GAPs, but only 47% opting to practice water quality GAPs and 55% choosing to observe soil amendment GAPs. Participants did report slightly higher compliance with field sanitation (71%) and sanitary facilities (73%) GAPs, but indicated that cost (67%) and time (68%) were significant perceived barriers to completing a GAPs audit on their farm. Participants also failed to identify many sources of potential microbiological contamination, with soil only being identified as a source of pathogenic contamination by 41% of participants and irrigation water identified by 51% of participants. Even fewer participants believed that contamination could result from ice (26%) or refrigeration and cooling (28%). However, most respondents indicated a desire to undergo further GAPs education, and the factsheet evaluation data indicated that the factsheets were highly effective and had resulted in significant GAPs knowledge increases for participants.

Objective: Measures the impact of the Farmers’ Market Voucher program on weight, body mass index, waist circumference, during the 2016 summer on a rural, low-income population residing in Appalachian Kentucky. Background: Rural communities often have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables (FV) which contributes to low levels of consumption. FV are calorie poor, nutrient dense and are inversely associated with inflammation markers, obesity, hypertension, and high blood glucose levels. Appalachian rural communities have a higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, strokes, and death by heart attack when compared to the U.S. Farmers’ markets Methods: Pre-experimental intervention design examining FV consumption and variety. T-test used measuring biochemical outcomes, pre and post, participation, and voucher amount. Results: Medical clinic patients (n=308) and household members (n=89) participated in study. Patients had a decrease in blood glucose and waist circumference (p=0.0231, p=0.0014 respectively). Patients had greater blood glucose reductions when compared to household members (p < 0.001). Patients reported consuming more FV with greater variety. Conclusion: The Farmers’ Market Voucher program successfully increased FV consumption and had a positive effect on blood glucose and waist circumference. Future studies should examine cooking methods of this population.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports indicate that 8% and 6.3% of Kentuckians consume enough fruits and vegetables, respectively. The Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud (PIUKP) project is a recipe-development project that aims to boost produce consumption by incorporating local fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to implement promotional strategies using PIUKP recipes at farmers’ markets and determine their effects on consumers’ intent of purchasing and preparing the produce. The study was conducted at nine farmers’ markets across Kentucky (n=300) in collaboration with Cooperative Extension agents/assistants. The consumers’ impression of the sample was positively associated with their intent to purchase fruits and vegetables the same day (t = 0.36; p < 0.0001), in future (t=0.43; p < 0.0001), and prepare the respective recipes (t=0.51; p < 0.0001). Distribution of recipe cards was also positively correlated with consumers’ intent to prepare recipes (t=0.35; p < 0.0001). However, no significant association was found between the self-reported fruit and vegetable intake and their respective dermal carotenoid score. Findings from this study support the use of promotional strategies as a means to influence produce intake among farmers market consumers. Future studies can apply these strategies and explore the extent of effect they have on dietary intake.

While farmers’ market vendors rely on loyal and frequent patrons to purchase their products, it is unclear how the intrinsic differences among farmers’ market shoppers serve as indicators of potential shopping frequency at farmers’ markets. The objectives of this thesis are to identify consumers’ intrinsic values associated with characteristics of local foods, examine how these values are reflected in consumption behaviors among farmers' market shoppers, and explore the relationship between consumption activities and shopping frequency at farmers' markets. Results suggest that the differences between frequent and infrequent farmers’ market shoppers could be explained by the individual’s levels of high and low involvement in consumption activities that reflect intrinsic values associated with benefits of locally produced foods. Market patrons who generally exhibit higher levels of involvement in these activities are more likely to be frequent farmers’ market shoppers; this is particularly true for those who are drawn to activities associated with public life or group settings. This information can be used by farmers’ market managers and vendors to develop targeted marketing strategies for retention of frequent market shoppers and also for increasing market patronage for less frequent market shoppers.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Hons)) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003. / "February 2003" Bibliography: leaves 260 - 277.

abstract: ABSTRACT Fruit and vegetable intake is not uniform across levels of socioeconomic status (SES) and researchers have identified low SES as a risk factor for poor intake of fruits and vegetables. In an effort to eliminate public health disparities and increase fruit and vegetable intake, the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program implemented additional food assistance programs, with a specific emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables. The Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) provides pre-existing WIC clients with coupons to purchase fresh, locally grown produce at farmers' markets. In addition, Congress also approved the WIC Cash Value Voucher (CVV) program, which provides WIC participants with vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets or grocery stores. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the relation of FMNP coupon use with accessibility and WIC CVV redemption rates at farmers' markets. Furthermore, this thesis addressed whether WIC shoppers redeemed a higher percentage of their WIC CVV value at farmers' markets or grocery stores. WIC CVV and FMNP issuance and redemption data were analyzed to establish overall redemption rates and total perecent of WIC CVV value redeemed. Accessibility was assessed using the Geographic Information System, which allowed me to calculate the distance that WIC participants would have to travel to redeem their FMNP coupons at FMNP-approved farmers' markets. The results showed that less than 1% of WIC shoppers redeem their WIC CVVs at farmers'markets in Arizona. However, the redemption of WIC CVV was significantly higher during the months when shoppers had the option of using both WIC CVV and FMNP coupons at farmers' markets. Furthermore, the percent of total CVV value redeemed at farmers' markets was 99%, significantly higher than grocery stores (93.5%). Average FMNP coupon redemption rates for 2008-2010 was 43.3%, well below the national average of 59%. However, my spatial analysis revealed that there was no significant association between the distance traveled to farmers' markets and FMNP redemption rates. This indicates that the distance traveled to farmers' markets is not a major barrier to redemption of FMNP coupons in Arizona. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Nutrition 2012

Historically, American farmers have been identified as white, middle-aged, working- to middle-class, men who reside in rural environments to grow large expanses of corn, soybeans, or wheat. However, this dissertation questions this fraught representation of past farmers and introduces a new identity in contemporary American agriculture - Young Farmers. Usually, Young Farmers are first-generation agriculturalists, who hold small parcels of land, produce a diverse assortment of crops, and adopt items of rural material culture to better perform as farmers. Additionally, they believe their lifestyles and their existences are dependent upon interactions with their local environments and members of their communities. By focusing on these individuals, this study examines how American farmers, the environments they inhabit, the goods they produce, and the locations they distribute their products have changed, especially after the most recent Farm Crisis in the 1980s.<div><br></div><div>To best understand these alterations, this dissertation offers an exploration of three farmers market locations in Michigan's Lower Peninsula to highlight and compare the social, cultural, environmental, and economic shifts occurring in the agricultural community. Arguably, farmers markets provide Young Farmers a space to meet prospective consumers and to distribute their products to them. Likewise, these site are a venue for Young Farmers to develop successful systems of community with other people involved with small-scale farming. Throughout this dissertation, I layer ethnographic and historical archive data with quantitative metrics, such as U.S. Census Bureau data to better explain demographic shifts occurring across Michigan's farming landscape. Additionally, I critically analyze images associated with past and current representations of individuals involved with agriculture to address how Young Farmers redefine themselves culturally and participate in methods of food and economic sustainability. By studying and understanding the codependence of the people and place who comprise farmers and farming communities in a representative location like Michigan, I recognize the relevance of the Midwest as a crossroads of contemporary American agriculture. </div>