In 2025, in occasion of World Food Day (October 16), the World Farmers Markets Coalition counted farmers at farmers markets to measure how and by how much farmers markets count when it comes to providing food access to consumers.
What: A census of shoppers in farmers markets
Where: 23 farmers markets in 10 countries
When: The week of World Food Day, 16 October 2025
Who: Local farmers market managers counted and surveyed shoppers attending their markets, where farmers sell directly to consumers on recurring bases.
Why: Objectives are three-fold:
- To take a snapshot of how farmers markets serve consumers’ quest for fresh, healthy, and local food in World Farmers Market Coalition members’ markets;
- To cultivate a culture of evaluation among farmers market managers (who are otherwise preoccupied with the miracle of staging recurring farmers markets with limited resources);
- To demonstrate how and by how much farmers markets shape the food environment for consumers.
What we are finding in these interim results: Farmers markets play a strategic and durable role in shaping and reshaping consumer preferences. The architectural design of farmers markets enables shoppers to select their purchases from different farmers. Whether the competitive value is price, quality, or growing practices that motivates shoppers, the direct contact between farmer and consumer provides both with social interaction and educational insights. These benefits are increased when repeated often. This was one of the findings that stands out. Shoppers are loyal repeat visitors.
