Farmers Markets as a Strategy to Improve Access to Healthy Food for Low-Income Families and Communities

In this report, Project for public Spaces, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in partnership with Columbia University, examines strategies for implementing farmers markets in low-income communities as well as barriers that need to be addressed to improve the viability of markets in these areas.

This research effort focused on several former Project for Public Spaces grantees from across the country, each of whom has implemented a variety of strategies to enhance the sustainability and community impact of their markets. The methodology combined case study analysis with an examination of a wide array of existing data collected by the markets, including customer surveys and annual management reports, as well as new data collection, such as a survey of customers and local residents and focus groups with youth involved in farmers markets.