Alaska Farmers Market Association

Farmers markets have experienced a renaissance throughout the nation, and have begun to spring up all over Alaska. While our short growing season and cold climate offers many challenges to our farmers, farmers’ markets are thriving across Alaska. In 2005 the Division of Agriculture listed 13 markets throughout the State. In 2014 that number grew to 37, and in 2020, there were 50 with more in planning stages. Farmers markets are good for farmers and good for the communities they serve. For farmers, farmers markets provide a place where farmers can reconnect with consumers and capture retail dollars for their fresh, high-quality products. For communities, farmers markets are family-friendly, community-building events that bring neighbors together, attract retail activity to surrounding businesses, create forums for civic education and involvement and provide direct access to Alaska’s agricultural bounty. Why is it important to support our local farmers markets? You create a sense of community through buying locally and cooking and eating locally-grown food with friends and family. You build a healthier lifestyle by buying, cooking and eating real food, rather than eating processed, commercially-prepared foods. You create stronger social structures by cooking and eating with family and friends. You are promoting and protecting Alaskan agriculture for our future. You are protecting Alaska’s precious agricultural lands from development. Why is it important to buy local food? The produce tastes better because of our cool climate! Our cool nights make the vegetables sweeter and more delicious than anything grown in hotter climates. The produce tastes better because it’s fresher! With vegetables grown just a few miles away, harvests can be much more recent than for produce shipped from Outside. Your produce will stay fresh much longer after you buy it, because it is so fresh to begin with. The transportation costs of buying local food are much lower than buying produce that has been shipped from the Lower 48. You’re conserving all kinds of energy by buying local food. You’re supporting local farmers and ensuring that farming and local food production will remain viable in Alaska.