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Market Culture: Union Square Greenmarket NYC

By Brittany Kleinman: Last fall I took a trip to the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City to learn more about one of America’s most successful Farmer’s Market program – organized by The Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC). They’re dedicated to improving New York City’s environment and have been doing it for over thirty years. CENYC uses markets as a way to enrich the community and provide greener, safer, and stronger neighborhoods. As a result, Greenmarket has become the largest farmers market program in the United States. Click Read More for additional information and photos.

From Greenmarket’s website:

“Greenmarket promotes regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Greenmarket has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in NYC since 1976. Greenmarket supports farmers and preserves farmland for the future by providing regional small family farmers with opportunities to sell their fruits, vegetables and other farm products to New Yorkers.”

“Eating locally grown food is nothing new. A hundred years ago, over 95% of Americans lived on farms. City dwellers ate food brought by horse and cart from nearby farms. In the 1800s, Brooklyn was the top producing agricultural county in the US. In the 20th century, farms moved west and many local farms were paved over. By the 1970s, New Yorkers complained of brown lettuce and hard tomatoes while local farms went bankrupt. Greenmarket was a natural solution to a two-fold problem: by selling their homegrown crops in New York City, local farms could stay in business and bring fresh food to city neighborhoods. What began with twelve farmers in an empty lot in 1976 has grown into the largest network of its kind in the country, with rigorous “grow-your-own” standards.”