Giovanni Manfroni Last week, we were grateful that the Director of Fondazione Campagna Amica and International Coordinator of WFMC, Carmelo Troccoli, collaborated with the World Union of Wholesale Markets and participated in the World Urban Forum, organized by UN-Habitat. During this forum, Carmelo discussed the importance of shared food for our communities and the crucial role that farmers’ markets play in the urban context. The growth of our industrialized agri-food system has fractured the connection between consumers and producers and led to the loss of knowledge and transparency throughout the entire food supply chain.
One of the main goals of farmers markets is to rebuild this link, and in turn, to revitalize communities and rebuild the relationship between the countryside and the city. Farmers markets are a perfect opportunity for producers to not only sell their products, but also to share their regional and cultural knowledge – such as recipes or stories around particular products. Of course, they provide the space for selling, but they also create a space for learning and gathering. This brings rebirth to these abandoned or decaying spaces, provides space for events and conviviality, and increases the social sustainability within our communities. Shortening the food chain decreases the miles that food travels, but also encourages more environmental sustainability in the promotion of better farming practices and increased biodiversity – both in the increased consumer interest in supporting our planet, and also with the opportunity for farmers to gather in these spaces and learn from each other. Direct selling at farmers markets creates transparency for the consumer and allows for food to be sold at a fair price for both the producer and the consumer, as the intermediar(ies) are removed – thus encouraging economic sustainability.
Farmers markets are multifunctional – rebuilding our communities around shared food, culture, and knowledge. The World Farmers Market Coalition aims to encourage the growth of these short supply chains worldwide and to continue voicing in the international context the cruciality of building local food systems and the vitality of farmers markets within them.
Once there are recordings from the World Urban Forum, we will share them here. If you are interested in looking at the highlights, you can find them here.
by Christina Ermilio
