We need to stop thinking of farmers markets as temporary events, a short-term solution for farmers until they “get big”, or as tourist attractions. We need to treat farmers markets as a key piece of our local food system which can be a permanent marketing solution for farms of all sizes. We need to develop local policies that support people accessing the market, from transportation (local bus systems) to permanent year-round market venues with attached storage. We need to also support local food in our schools and hospitals, recognizing that people get well faster and think better when they are well fed.

What would a year-round farmers market venue mean for any city? What would it look like?

Based in part on markets in Montreal, Barcelona and Toronto, we have some ideas.

The market centre itself needs to be built for warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer: a permanent roof with open sides that can be closed in. Farmers could access it from both sides, pulling their vehicles right up to their booths inside the building. Or central loading zones with sufficient space for several vehicles at once, with enough space behind each booth for all unloading. There would be a central walkway, well-lit, heated and with electrical outlets for farmers’ coolers or freezers as well as charging point of sale materials. Bathrooms of course are needed, and if we’re going for real long-term sustainability, one could add in cold storage and dry storage, so farmers could actually drop off produce during the week and access it during market days. It could also store their market sales material, if booths are not permanent structures.

But, you say, what about the rest of the week? What if it’s not used all the time? Well, it could be used! Other events like music or community gatherings could use the venue, there could be some permanent stalls for local processors (think of bakeries or cafés, not produce importers) or a shared artisan stall. Many cities have a market with such keystone vendors in permanent locations with an expandable area for a farmers market. When attractive and useful common spaces are created, they get used. Think of the Ross St parkette and band shell in Salmon Arm. This small space has become a community hub, used for relaxation and events, both formal and informal. If you build it right, the community will take it over and make it theirs, and what better approval could there be?

So here’s your task, during this election season and beyond: advocate locally for year-round support for farmers markets. Ask for funding from your municipality for year-round venues for markets and for protection for agricultural land.

the inspiration

The Montreal Public Markets include several different kinds of markets: main markets, seasonal street markets, neighbourhood  single kiosks representing local producers, and solidarity markets.

 Solidarity markets are operated by non-profits, and seek to provide a fair price for their products, by finding a balance between the amount paid to the growers, the amount required for the markets’ administration and the price consumers pay. Solidarity markets are improving the availability of fresh, local and affordable products within Montreal’s districts, especially in the poorest neighbourhoods, in terms of both food supply and socio-economic levels.

The non-profit which manages all these markets has a central focus of improving urban access to food for everyone on a human scale. They operate both year-round and seasonal markets, supporting a huge number of farmers from a wide region.

Making cities livable

Architects Against Housing Alienation is a Canadian group focused on re-creating the housing system based fairness, accessibility and removing profit from housing.

"Housing in c\a\n\a\d\a is characterized by unaffordability, disrepair, under-housing, precarity, and homelessness. This is housing alienation—the condition of being separated from our fundamental connections to home. It separates us from the land we inhabit, the social world that supports us, and our full creative lives.

“Canadian cities lack the ecological, social, and technical systems required to support and nurture dense urban housing. This problem is exacerbated in poorer neighbourhoods, which are typically untouched by urban design and civic beautification projects. We demand a vision and participatory process that strengthen ambient urban ecosystems—for such things as walkability, transit, ecosystem services, and green space—as an accessible commons necessary for all housing and especially social housing.