Value of Agriculture Sold Directly to Individuals
More Farms Selling Products Directly than in California
Why is it important?
Farmers markets have become increasingly important to local economies, especially in the Sierra Nevada. Local markets are a positive way for farmers to sell their products and interact with the community. Farmers benefit as shipping costs are eliminated, making it possible for farmers to sell fresh produce that may not withstand large-scale packaging or distribution.5 Direct marketing and participation between the farmers and their local community improves civic capacity, a social capital indicator. Financial transactions remain local, thus increasing financial capital.
How are we doing?
The number of farms selling directly to individuals has changed little in the last five years, despite the region’s increasing population. Thus the number of farms per 10,000 people has decreased, except in the North Sierra, which saw little population growth. However, the value sold directly to individuals by those farms has increased significantly in every region except the East Sierra.
In all subregions of the Sierra Nevada, there are more farms selling directly to individuals per 10,000 people than in California. The greatest concentrations of these farms are found in the South Central Sierra, even though the number decreased from 19 to 13 farms per 10,000 people. The value sold to individuals per capita is higher in the North Central and South Central Sierra and lower in the North and East Sierra than in California. However, the value sold per capita is increasing faster than in California in all but the East Sierra.
5 California Federation of Certified Farmer’s Markets. Retrieved May 16, 2005 from http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/about
