The Politics of Modern Artisan Farmers Markets

How does / doesn’t the Artisan Farmers Market support local food businesses and what does it mean in the face of the impending global food crisis

In my line of work as a hospitality retail sales consultant in Sydney, I rub shoulders with owners/ managers from businesses all across New South Wales. The businesses range from cafes and pubs to hotels and schools.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with the owner of Condimental, Cameron Stephens, during one of his supply trip at our store. I learnt that apart from providing seasonal condiment subscription boxes filled with handpicked artisanal sauces, pickles, pastes and ferments made in Australia; Stephens is also a stallholder in the weekly Carriageworks Farmers Market.

A greater purpose

On researching on Condimental, I came across their purpose statement, which really resonate with my philosophy on food and sustainable living:

Condimental is here to connect like-minded farmers, makers, and adventurous consumers who want to taste the best our country has to offer.

It wants to show off the small batch, the experimental and the fleeting with the aim of sparking conversation about our country’s broader issues of food waste, major supermarket pressure on farmers, homogeneity and monopolisation of food brands, unnecessary importing, and the archaic quest for consistency, amongst other things.

— Condimental, 2023

With their website boldly claiming that their condiments are “A First Aid-Kit For Boring Food” and as an ex-chef and an avid foodie who loves his home made pickles, sauces and meats stocks; I knew I’ve had to check it out.

What followed was a cheerful Saturday morning with the partner at the Carriageworks Farmers Market. Check out the partner’s article for photos and highlights.

Farmers Market: pros and cons

The origins of the farmers market can be traced back to ancient times when farmers would bring their goods to town to sell. Today, farmers markets promote local agriculture and provide consumers with fresh, healthy food by local governments or community groups. Farmers markets have many benefits but there are also some downsides to them, lets look at some of them:

Pros

• Farmers markets provide fresh, healthy food and supporting local agriculture.
• Provide an opportunity for local growers and producers to sell their products directly to consumers without going through supermarkets. This process uses significantly fewer resources and therefore has less of an impact on the environment.
• Farmers markets can stimulate local economies by creating jobs for growers, supporting local businesses and promoting sustainable agriculture practices.

Cons

• may not always be convenient for consumers because they are often only open on certain days and at certain times.
• Farmers markets may not always offer the same variety of products as supermarkets

Comparison of farmers markets in Sydney

Below are some of the more popular farmers markets around Sydney CBD

• Carriageworks Farmers Market (previously known as Eveleigh Farmers Market) is a weekly Artisan Farmers market that provides fresh seasonal produce including organic and bio-dynamic foods from farmers and artisan producers from across New South Wales. The market is curated by acclaimed Australian chef Mike McEnearney, who is also the creative director of the market.
• Organic Food Markets (several suburbs) provide fresh organic produce from local growers and producers. This weekly market is governed by the Inner West Council and organised by Organic Food Markets under the business Choulartons Australia Pty Ltd. Along with the usual range of organic and conventional foods, there are gourmet goodies from regions like France and Argentina. This is an excellent venue to meet the producers who supply many of Sydney’s leading eateries.
• Northside Produce Market provides fresh seasonal produce from over 70+ local growers and producers from regional NSW. Regions include Orange, the Riverina, Central Tablelands, Southern Highlands, Brother Mountains and Crescent Head, the outskirts of Sydney and inner city makers. They held the market on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from 8am till midday, except for January, when the market is closed on the 1st Saturday of that month. The North Sydney Council governs the market.

Rules and regulations of farmers market

At one point I asked Cameron about his curated subscription boxes as I’m interested in picking one up. He replied that all the condiments available for purchase on that day are ones that he and his team made instead of those that he curated from other producers.

Apparently, vendors are required to sell only what they grow or produce themselves. This rule is one of the many strict stipulations in the Market Charter, which the Carriageworks Farmers Market follows to ensure quality and uphold its connection to growers and producers.

At a glance, this makes sense, however on looking further into the charter, one could see that there are quite a few tough boxes to tick.

Case-study: Carriageworks Farmers Market

The Carriageworks Farmers Market in Sydney has five core values:

• Authenticity — The market prohibits agents, wholesalers, and resellers from selling their products and only allows direct sales from farmers, chefs, and artisanal producers to ensure authenticity.
• Origin — The market mandates that producers sell only produce grown or raised within New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, with some exceptions made for specialty items not available within the state.
• Knowledge — The market encourages interaction between farmers and customers to impart knowledge about the origin of their food.
• Sustainability — The market is committed to sustainable business practices, such as using rainwater for the site, recycling waste, and reducing food miles.
• Excellence — The market only showcases the very best and most innovative producers, chefs, and artisans in New South Wales. Stallholders must submit a seasonal list to management and allow regular farm visits to ensure compliance with the charter. The market is also committed to maintaining high service standards and ensuring that staff have a detailed product knowledge.

The charter also state that it is a competitive business environment regulated by management to ensure that particular goods are not oversupplied to the detriment of stallholders or the overall market experience. Management vets the stalls varieties and normally allows only 1 or a few produce of the same kind at the weekly lineup of stalls.

The priorities and concerns of organisers of farmers markets may vary depending on the market. However, in general, organisers are concerned with promoting local agriculture and providing consumers with fresh and healthy food. This all sounds well intended and shows the commitment of these organisations to promote the excellence of local businesses.

Although Carriageworks may acknowledge the significant support they have received from trusts and foundations that share their passion for extraordinary arts experiences, and their commitment to community, diversity and inclusion; I wonder if some of their charter rules might exclude businesses similarly as how supermarkets chose which growers or producers could align themselves with their agenda.

Global food crisis and diet trends

Consider this: Our global food system accounts for 26% of total global greenhouse gas emissions (18.4% from agriculture, forestry and land use, 7.6% from things like packaging, refrigeration and transport). This impact on our environment will only increase with the continuing demand for food production. To feed the growing global population, estimates suggest we’ll have to increase food production by as much as 68 percent by 2050.

The two big drivers of food demand — population and income — are on the rise. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects the world’s population to reach 9.1 billion people in 2050, up from 7.4 billion in 2016. Farmers globally must increase food production 70 percent compared to 2007 levels to meet the needs of the larger population.

The increase in global income levels, especially those in developing countries, has seen the consumer preference moves from wheat and grains to legumes, and then to meat, including chicken, pork and beef. However, a different trend is emerging in highly developed countries with more health-conscious populations. The focus on starch-based crops like corn has shifted to more plant-based proteins like soybeans and other legumes.

Challenges for farmers

One of the major reasons that harvest time can be uniquely stressful is that farmers must often leverage a great deal of money up front in order to pay for equipment, animal care and feed, seeds, etc., with the goal of making the money back after they sell their harvest.

Farmers also face many factors beyond their control that might interfere with their harvest. Take La Niña, for example — after three years of dominating weather patterns around the globe, the cool phase of the eastern Pacific Ocean, which typically brings rain and floods to Australia on the ocean’s warmer western edge — has been weakening for months.

Farmers usually welcome the La Niña as the plentiful rainfall can boost production and profits. However, in some food industry, heavy or prolonged rainfall could damage fruit and delicate crops as well as delaying harvests or making them more challenging. Flooding can wash away entire fields and damage roads and other infrastructure. The vulnerability of farmers — they’re powerless to the forces that control their stability. Any weather event could wipe out a year.

Adding to the sense of loss of control is the reality that corporate interests and government policies influence the price of goods. For a small farm, they face the challenge of competing against large supermarket pricing on produce in order to meet the expectations of consumers.

Artisan Markets such as Carriageworks Farmers Market do a lot to create an event that is bespoke. This helps growers and food producers set a price that’s ‘livable’ for their goods, as well as establishing awareness of the businesses within the local area.

Final thoughts (and burning questions)

In this article, I have shared some information on the current management and political trends governing artisan farmers markets in NSW, using Carriageworks as a case-study. I also pointed out the global food shortage that is on the horizon and some challenges that the modern farmers face.

While I love the idea of the artisan market, I find it also brings its own set of problems. I see the formation of ‘elite’ institutions that seek to exclude growers/ producers who cannot comply with their set of rules. This may well bring about a trend that isn’t dissimilar to what food producers are experiencing today: pressure on farmers to comply in order to remain relevant, homogeneity and monopolisation of food brands.

With more mouths to feed, and local growers/ producers striving to remain competitive within their locale and the increasing pressure to produce limited batches in order to fetch better premium prices; I wonder if the priority has been skewered somewhere along the line.

It somehow feels like in our pursuit of sustainability in food production, we have managed to return to profits as our key priority above all else.

At this point, I have 2 questions:

1. It is so important to have a sustainable agriculture system, one that does not weight heavily on everyone’s pockets, subsidised and supported by government policies. One that feeds communities that need them, without wasting unnecessary resources. In consideration of the impending global food crisis, what are some ways our community could push for a more sustainable and healthy system for embracing organic/ biodynamic food culture while keeping it financial sustainable? How far do you think we are from that being the ‘norm’?
2. Huge corporations and supermarkets chains are using tactics to pressure businesses to comply with their agenda and exclude businesses who can’t. Is it reasonable/ acceptable for an organisation like Carriageworks, even in the light of ensuring quality attendees experience and event excellence, to penalise local businesses and creating exclusiveness at the expense of promoting an elitist food culture under the pretence of the artisan market?

If you have artisan markets in your locality, what are your thoughts on their management tactics?

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