“It has to do with all the various things we’re worried about, this economic distress,” says Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, director of the Hamilton Project and one of the report’s authors. “People are dealing with stagnant wages and increasing costs in other areas — housing and transportation — so it’s not surprising that we’re seeing people having a hard time stretching their budgets to cover their food needs. But it means we need to have a serious conversation about what to do about people who are above the reach of the safety net.”
Steve Bosserman on 08 Jun 11Farmers markets have grown in popularity as the consumer demand for locally grown and produced foods has grown, said Lori Panda, who runs the Ohio Proud program of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The program oversees the state's more than 1,000 farmers markets. In comparison, 600 were listed with the department in 2006, Panda said. As their numbers increase, farmers markets are popping up in not-so traditional locations. "The markets are opening in places like Easton because it has a ready-built clientele," Panda said. "It's not surprising, considering the growing interest of consumers who want more options for local foods, want to support the local economy, and, because of food-safety concerns, want to know who is growing their foods. It just makes sense that farmers want to go where the people are."