WHAT IS A FARMERS’ MARKET?
A Farmers’ Market is a predominantly fresh food market that operates regularly within a community, at a focal public location that provides a suitable environment for farmers and specialty food producers to sell farm-origin and associated value-added specialty foods for human consumption, and plant products, directly to customers.
AFMA advocacy for best practice farmers’ markets is embraced in the following additional definitions drawn from learnings around sustainable and successful models operating internationally.
Farmer
A person, family member, family company that grows, raises, catches or gathers food and / or processes value-added foods derived from on-farm inputs.
Farm co-operative (Co-op, community supported farm or share farming)
The stallholder is a producer representative of the collaborative farming arrangement, and all market day proceeds are distributed back to the respective producers.
Farm staff
Market day sellers may also be farm employees who can demonstrate farm and product knowledge.
Share Farmer
Share farmers who lease grazing or arable land for the purposes of producing food, plants and other eligible products by their sole endeavour are entitled to sell the produce they have raised or cultivated at a farmers’ market.
Specialty maker
A specialty food producer of value-added food products that primarily comprise local, seasonal and regional ingredients, preferably sourced directly from farmers, and those specialty foods sold by the specialty maker or business staff.
Market manager
The nominated person responsible for the management of the farmers’ market on market day.
Market organisation
The organisation responsible for the governance of the farmers’ market/s, to which the market manager is responsible. In the event that the market is a commercial enterprise (not an Incorporated Association) these entities may be one and the same.
PRODUCTS:
- PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED FOR SALE AT A FARMERS’ MARKET
Primary food products
A primary food product for human consumption sold in its raw form that has not been processed or manufactured in any way, other than packaged.
Seafood, game and foraged foods
Seafood (salt or freshwater), game or foraged food that has been caught, hunted or gathered.
Value-Added Foods
Whereby the raw / fresh food / ingredient for human consumption is modified by means of a cooking or related process eg: brining, fermenting, marinating, smoking, drying, that process undertaken by the specialty producer.
Specialty food products
Made from primary farm origin produce, which has been cooked, processed, combined or substantially altered from the raw ingredient, to which additional food ingredients may have been added to create a new value-added specialty food for human consumption.
Regional Produce
Local and regional produce grown, reared or value-added within state boundaries.
Refer to VFMA Accreditation for VIC criteria.
Garden Inputs
Products derived from an entire production life cycle that takes place on the producer’s property or other properties to which the producer has access. ie. worm farms and their associated by-products, fertilisers such as chook manure, pea straw and lucerne.
Small livestock
Farm reared edible small livestock and poultry predominantly raised on the producers’ farm for live sale. eg: poultry, rabbits, sheep, piglets, kids.
- PRODUCTS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SALE AT A FARMERS’ MARKET
Non-food farm by-products
Any non-edible product derived from food or fibre that is grown, reared, caught or gathered by the farmer and through a manufacturing process has been converted to a non-edible by-product ie woollen fleece or woven baskets from farmed banana plantains.
Books
Books by the farmer or complementary to a seller’s product range.
Craft
A hand-made or commercially manufactured non-edible product that includes but is not limited to textiles, ceramics, glassware, leather, wax-ware, polymer, wooden, metal, and plant origin items.
Pet Food
Raw meat, bones for pet animals are permitted but manufactured pet foods are not permitted.
SELLERS:
- SELLERS RECOMMENDED AT A FARMERS’ MARKET
To distinguish farmers’ markets from other community markets it is important that sellers be as cited above – farmers, farm family or farm staff, farm collaborative stalls, or specialty food makers.
- SELLERS NOT RECOMMENDED AT A FARMERS’ MARKET
Reseller
Any person who sources and re-sells produce from another party including a farmer, where monies are exchanged with the intent to re-sell that produce to consumers. This includes any primary and specialty food products, and the re-packaging of any food or beverage.
Agent
Any person/s acting on behalf of any other person/s in any financial and commercial transaction, offering for sale primary produce or specialty food products.
RECOMMENDED STALL CONFIGURATION OPTIONS:
Single stall
A stall representing one farmer or farming enterprise, attended by that farmer, farm family or farm staff.
Shared stall
A stall representing more than one farmer where the attending farmer is one of those farmers, farm family or farm staff. The farm origin of all produce is clearly identified. All monies from the sale of that produce are wholly remitted by the attending farmer to the originating farmer.
