Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The revitalization of farmers markets is a growing alternative to larger scale food systems that connects farmers directly with consumers in urban areas. Why is this important? Why do producers and consumers come to the farmers market? Moreover, what implications will this have on local farmers and the rest of our society? In this study, we look at the perspectives of participants in the "Bondens egen Marknad" (Farmers own Market) in Sweden to understand what the farmers market means for people, who come there, why they come, what interaction takes place and how this meaning is shaped by the larger societal context. Using qualitative interviews and Symbolic Interactionist theory as a guide, we search for the answers to these questions by looking at the communicative phenomenon of meaning-making. We explore different interpretations of the Bondens egen Marknad: what does local food and direct contact mean to the producers, how did the original concept of the farmers market influence the creation of the shared message, how do the farmers describe consumers and producers in relation to their motives and goals, and the perceived significance of trust-building, interdependence, and building a closer relationship between consumers and producers at the Bondens egen Marknad.