Farmers Markets Surge in Popularity and Risk Oversaturation

Here’s a question we never would’ve thought we’d be asking just a few short years ago: Have farmers markets gotten too popular for their own good? Following the tenets of Economics 101, farmers markets are popping up everywhere—often within one city or neighborhood—thanks to heightened regard across the country for local, seasonal foods. But the glut may be straining sales for individual farms as the market supply may have overshot customer demand, and competition becomes palpable as farmers have been forced to lower prices to keep customers loyal, The New York Times reported in August. Whether this will mean the peak (and subsequent decline) of farmers markets or a growing draw to new shoppers now seeing lower prices, 2012 may tell. —Eva Meszaros

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