Resource Library
Resource Library
Welcome to the Farmers Market Coalition Resource Library, an ever-growing database of resources for farmers, market managers and researchers. These resources were developed by a wide spectrum of organizations, agencies, and academic institutions, and we are grateful for the spirit of sharing which allows us to bring a variety of tools to your table in one searchable portal. We hope you find them useful and consider submitting resources of your own for the benefit of the farmers market community.
Browse by Category
- Boards, Mission, and Governance (26)
- Farm Business and Marketing (43)
- Farm Inspection and Enforcement (27)
- Food Safety and Handling (32)
- Funding and Grants (18)
- Insurance, Liability, and Licensing (23)
- Management and Operations (100)
- Market Start-up and Development (52)
- Other (4)
- Promotion, Outreach, and Special Events (44)
- Public Policies (26)
- Rules and Vendor Applications (26)
- SNAP/EBT and Nutrition Programs (73)
- State Association Development (9)
- Surveys, Evaluation (71)
- Customer base (9)
- Pricing (2)
- Vendor Fees and Market Finances (14)
CSA Solutions Hub
The Hub collects information from CSA farmers, Small Farm Central staff, and others working with CSAs to bring you knowledge to help you move your CSA program forward including:
Resources to assist you in marketing your CSA, like “47 Tips and Tricks for CSA Farm Marketing”.
Articles dealing with problem members
Philosophical discussions about what constitutes a CSA
Local Food Demand in the U.S.: Evolution of the Marketplace and Future Potential
According to U.S. Census of Agriculture statistics, direct sales of edible farm products for human consumption rose dramatically from $404 million annually in 1992 to roughly 3 times that amount ($1.2 billion) by 2007. By 2012, this sales value had topped $1.3 billion per year, representing a 223 percent increase in growth over a 20‐year span and far outpacing the average rate of sales growth in the U.S. agricultural sector. This chapter in the Federal Reserve Board’s 2017 report Harvesting Opportunity outlines the performance of the direct-to-consumer marketing sector and charts its course in the coming years.
Year One of the USDA FINI Program: Incentivizing the Purchase of Fruits and Vegetables Among SNAP Customers at the Farmers Market
The USDA’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program demonstrates positive progress towards the program’s main goal of increasing the purchase of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program. FINI funding is open to multiple types of produce retailers, but incentive programs were initially tested, and have proven to be successful at America’s farmers markets. In Year one, FINI supported incentive programs at almost 1,000 farmers markets, representing 4,000 direct marketing farmers in 27 states. These farmers market programs alone generated almost $8 million in SNAP and incentive sales spent on produce. Program evaluation conducted by grantees indicated uniformly high redemption rates, strong support for the program among stakeholders, and a great deal of collaboration from both public agencies and private program partners. These collaborations were particularly important in conducting outreach to SNAP recipients.
This report summarizes the results year results of 13 mid- and large-scale FINI projects that operated at farmers markets. The data and conclusions are drawn from grantee reports, information on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s website, and additional information provided by grantees.
