GET THIS:If we want to shop at farmers' markets, we'll have to give them regular support, writes Hugo Arnold
MARKET SHOPPING for food is undoubtedly romantic, all the more so as Easter signals better weather and we start to venture outside with increasing optimism. But what of the winter? Farmers' markets need our year-round support if they are to survive. If we want them to prosper, they need to become central to our lives rather than something to be enjoyed when the mood takes us.
There are many who see the new breed of markets - it is easy to forget that the likes of the English Market in Cork have existed for years, as indeed have country markets - as a major plank in revitalising rural communities and encouraging farmers to stay on the land.
Yet they could be so much more than this, a fact recognised and acted on by Minister of State for Food and Horticulture, Trevor Sargent, when he invited key representatives of local authorities to seek what he called "a joined-up approach" in dealing with the issue of farmers' markets earlier in the year.
Why did he do this? There is concern about the delicacy of many of the markets, coupled with a real hope that they could be part of the answer to all sorts of issues such as the need to encourage local foods, local economies, re-engage with seasonality, tackle food miles and sustainability. All of this and more could and should be dealt with by farmers' markets, but is this really a reality in our time-starved, ever-stressful modern lives?
And what of the markets themselves? Imported, low-cost foods are not really what they should be about. There are too many people starting up stalls and failing, for all sorts of complicated reasons. Differing levels of support from local authorities is undoubtedly an issue, but so too is the need for markets to understand who their competition is and who their customers are.
There has been much talk of regulation, but this implies a one-size-fits-all approach and yet another level of bureaucracy in a sector that has oodles. Markets can and should be run by themselves, with local authorities supplying the infrastructure in a central location with adequate parking.
It is no easy matter for a farmer to set up a market stall. You need real courage and vision and a whole set of skills. But the rewards are great - money, for one thing, and an appreciation that what you produce is good.
Markets must compete with supermarkets, and that means marketing. Breed, husbandry, variety, taste and flavour all matter, and this needs to be communicated. What market can afford to do this? A co-ordinated, countrywide approach would give this whole area the kind of budgets and energy it needs.
Start-up businesses can and should use markets as incubation, a fact encouraged by Bord Bia. The markets are an incredibly cost-effective route to customers, as well as being a superb way of testing products and marketing. It may be simple, but it works.
And why should the supply of food only take place at the market? There is every reason why stalls should offer to deliver their produce and also advertise their farms as places where people can go, not just to buy, but to see what is going on.
So is there a future? With farming in crisis and world food on the agenda like it has never been before, there has to be. Trevor Sargent's initiative in calling together local councils and showing them what enormous potential these markets have was just the first step. He is now pursuing the possibility of a common local authority approach to encourage local farmers' markets through the provision of utilities, signage and water. Agrivision 2015, the artisan group which was established in February, is involved in this. The message is now clear. It is down to execution.