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Cover Story A positive step back


Surge in farmers’ markets helps bring consumers, and cash, closer to those who produce their food.


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ttitudes toward food are changing and growers should be capitalizing on that fact.


Kelowna orchardist Fred Steele, a director of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, believes firmly in and he’s doing what he can to promote local farmers and their products to consumers in Western Canada.


From meeting consumers face-to-face at farmers’ markets around the province, to attending exhibitions throughout the western provinces to sell both fruit and B.C.’s orchard industry, Steele believes now is the time for doing some “talking over the back fence.”


During the past decade there’s been a surge in interest in farmers’ markets where consumers can meet the people who grow their food and buy it directly from those who picked it that morning. Ironically, it’s really a step back in time, to when urban met rural regularly so farmers could sell their produce to city folks—before mass transportation systems carried it around the world.


JUDIE STEEVES


Farmer Sproule proudly offers tastes of his cherries to consumers at the Kelowna Farmers’ Market.


It bypasses the packinghouse, the warehouse, the wholesaler and the shipper as well as the retailer. But, it encourages support of local farmers, better nutrition and taste, a smaller carbon footprint and the local economy in general, because money stays in the community. Bob Callioux is manager of the largest farmers’ market in B.C., the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market, and he’s vice-president of the B.C. Association of Farmers Markets. He says there’s been an increase in the past 10 years from 60 markets in B.C. to 110 and the number is growing rapidly. That includes markets in Salmon Arm, Armstrong, Vernon, Lake Country, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Penticton, Naramata, Oliver and Osoyoos.


People would be surprised at the amount of money that changes hands on a market day, Callioux believes, although he says he couldn’t put a figure on it.


“It’s important for every community to realize this is money spent in the community and returned to be spent again in the community. It doesn’t leave. In fact, the farmers’ market is a community unto itself too,” he comments.


Agriculture is big business, even though people often don’t realize it. It’s kind of hidden, he notes.


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At Kelowna’s market, where he’s been manager for 17 years, Callioux says the food side is growing, with not only more vendors selling farm produce, but also with more value-added products such as jams and jellies, sauces and relishes, spices and honeys being sold. Most of those feature locally-grown produce bought from local farms as well.


He’d like to see the Kelowna market find a permanent site, although it operates year-round now, moving inside to the Parkinson Recreation Centre during winter. The market offers farmers an easy one-stop location, with more foot traffic than they’d ever have selling from the farm. In addition, the market provides them with product promotion, even offering online promotion of member- vendors and their products.


“Farmers love selling here because there’s interaction with their customers. Consumers can ask how it’s grown and where, and what it tastes like,” he comments. Sera Grazziano is one orchardist who turned to the Kelowna market in the past couple of years to sell summer fruit. While the bulk of it is apples, most of which are shipped to the packinghouse, she also grows apricots, cherries, prune plums and peaches, and used to sell them off the farm. However, people don’t seem to go out as much, so she


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Fall 2010


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