Every weekend, hundreds of shoppers flock to one of San Francisco’s 14 different farmers markets, enthralled by the promise of farm-fresh produce and local foods. Featuring goods ranging from the famous Dirty Girl tomatoes to tastefully curated flower bouquets, these markets foster community between customers and vendors in addition to providing an opportunity to support local businesses.

The very first market in California — Alemany Farmers’ Market — opened in San Francisco in 1943.  At the time, farmers were unable to sell directly to customers without going through grocery stores and had to work through numerous loopholes — such as only being permitted to sell their products in an unused city lot —in order to sell their produce straight to the public at farmers’ markets. 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the first farmers market occurred in an unused lot on Market Street and Duboce Avenue which sold only pears and apples from the back of a farmer-owned truck. This first market was such a success that all of the apples sold out before the market even opened. Since then, Alemany Farmers’ Market — often called the people’s market — has expanded, dotting locations around the city, from the Ferry Plaza to Stonestown.

Now, the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, one of the most well-known markets in the city, attracts as many as 30,000 shoppers during its Saturday markets, with over 300 restaurants in the Bay Area selling their goods. 

Farmers’ markets such as this one make sustainable, local and seasonal produce accessible to customers living in the city. By selling directly to consumers, vendors and residents form a close connection that enhances the community. A study by the Project of Public Places found that a customer has an average of 15-20 social interactions at farmers markets, in contrast to a mere one to two at a grocery store. 

The favorable schedule and complimentary food and fresh produce is an additional benefit for many Urban students who work at markets. “I think [the market] helps [in] creating a sense of community,” said Evan Wong ‘24, who works at the Frog Hollow Farm stand at the Ferry Plaza.

In addition to customers and vendors, many pets also frequent farmers’ markets in the city. Wong said, “A lot of people have dogs … I think there was a parrot one time [and] pigs. [People] bring some insane animals.” The presence of these furry and, on occasion, feathered friends shows how markets have transformed grocery shopping from an impersonal errand to a social outing where shoppers can interact with their local communities. 

“There’s so much activity there. [It’s] a fun environment to be in,” said Zareen Abraham ‘25, who works at the Dirty Girl Produce stand at the Ferry Plaza market. 

For vendors such as Volcano Kimchi – a San Francisco-based business that sells its kimchi at three different farmers’ markets in the Bay Area – farmers’ markets also create a place for their businesses to thrive. “[The market on] Clement Street is such an amazing mix of people, across ethnicities, ages, all of it,” said Aruna Lee, founder and “fermentress” of Volcano Kimchi in an interview with The Urban Legend. “It feels like a party every week … everything comes together to become this wonderful community space.” 

According to Ali Marshall, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Marshall’s Honey — one of the first small businesses to open shop at San Francisco farmers’ markets — the five markets where they sell their products around the Bay Area allow them to interact with local communities. “I think it’s the best way to get raw local honey to our loyal customers,” said Marshall in an interview with The Urban Legend.

Small farms and businesses are able to thrive at markets, with Marshall’s Honey receiving about a third of their total business from farmers’ markets. “It gives us exposure to a lot of the community businesses, restaurateurs, [and] chefs [who] come to buy fresh produce at markets,” said Marshall.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), farmers’ markets also help money circulate in the local economy, allow for economic growth and generate more job opportunities in the region.  

“You’re offered freshness, variety [and] quality … [by] going directly to the farmer,” said Urban Spanish Teacher Esteban Speier, who has been shopping at Bay Area farmers’ markets since the mid-‘90s. 

Abraham said, “[I] think that shopping at markets has a feel of personal connection. [Most] times the farmers are working at their stands and you know who your money is going to … which definitely gives customers a sense of trust in what they are eating.”

“The great thing about the markets is that the sellers are often the producers,” said Melinda Cater, a food dietitian at Johns Hopkins University in an interview with Johns Hopkins Medicine. “They raise, grow, harvest, bake or prepare the products themselves.” According to Cater, the fresh produce sold at farmers’ markets also contains higher nutrient content and more vitamins and minerals than produce from your average supermarket. 

Lee also spoke about the benefits of being a vendor at markets. “The advantage of the farmers’ market is that you can speak directly to the customer, you can get immediate feedback and you can create friendships,” said Lee. “You can’t do that on the grocery store shelf, where the product has to speak for itself.”

At most grocery stores, shelves are dominated by the large and often ecologically extractive corporations that control the current U.S. food system, dubbed Big Food. In contrast, farmers’ markets favor local vendors and farmers who practice sustainable farming practices, including the use of organic fertilizers to improve soil structure and fertility. 

Some markets, such as the one at the Ferry Plaza, even require that all products be grown or produced in California to reduce the cost of shipping produce. They also prohibit vendors from using Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in their products.

While shopping at farmers’ markets provides a way to help work toward a more sustainable food system, it does come with a cost: prices are significantly higher at farmers’ markets than at supermarkets.
“The [Ferry Plaza] market can be a little spendy, [but] all the other [markets] are generally a little bit more geared to middle and lower middle-class people,” said Speier.

But according to Abraham, the community is worth the price. “I get that it’s pretty expensive, [but] I think if you can shop locally, you should … I have gotten to know many farmers through the farmer’s market … [and] you can just tell that it’s a really tight-knit community.”