Along the narrow streets, tucked away in the alleys, amidst the Sari-Sari stores, lies these little hidden gems where one can buy vegetables to the likes never seen before. On any given day, one can walk into these vegetables markets, picking from an amazing assortment of locally grow vegetables.
Greeted with warm smiles, the smell of fresh vegetables and an atmosphere of busy, eager buyers and sellers. It is easy to see how one could spend several hours here. Some markets have chiefs that will make you a great Dampa for you while you wait or a rice bowl filled with all the vegetables just bought and chicken.
The history of farmers markets dates back to 1930’s when trading posts began a shift toward retailers who sold others’ products more than their own. General stores and grocery stores continued that specialization trend in retailing, optimizing the consumer experience, while abstracting it further from production and from production’s growing complexities.
Farmers’ markets can offer farmers increased profit over selling to wholesalers, food processors, or large grocery firms. By selling directly to consumers, produce often needs less transport, less handling, less refrigeration and less time in storage. By selling in an outdoor market, the cost of land, buildings, lighting and air-conditioning is also reduced or eliminated. Farmers may also retain profit on produce not sold to consumers, by selling the excess to canneries and other food-processing firms. At the market, farmers can retain the full premium for part of their produce, instead of only a processor’s wholesale price for the entire lot.
Farmers’ markets can be found all over the world from the traditional “mercados” in the Peruvian Andes to the unique street markets in the Philippines and throughout the South East Asian continent, as well as the cobbled streets of Europe. Growers all over the world gather weekly to sell their produce directly to their community in outdoor settings or inside a covered market building or in a combination of settings that vary with the season. These temporary or permanent markets occur on specific days in a city parking lot or a country roadside, enabling local vendors as well as those who travel from one market to the next to sell their goods.