URBAN FOOD POLICY: FARMERS MARKETS AS DRIVERS FOR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS

Cities play a decisive role in shaping the future of food systems and farmers markets are a powerful yet often underutilized tool within urban food policy.

Developed through the collective work of the World Farmers Markets Coalition and its members, this position paper explores how farmers markets can be strategically integrated into urban food policies to build more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient local food systems.

Farmers markets act as vital bridges between rural and urban communities. They support fair and dignified incomes for farmers, improve access to fresh and nutritious food, and strengthen social cohesion within cities. When embedded in urban planning and policy frameworks, they can help address pressing challenges such as food insecurity, social isolation, and environmental degradation.

This paper calls on policymakers, local authorities, and urban stakeholders to recognize farmers markets as essential public assets and to actively include them in food policy strategies positioning them as drivers of healthier cities and more equitable food systems.