Vic West - a Pilot Pocket
Market
Vic West Farmers Market was started in mid August 2005 and is a week day market running Wednesdays from 2-6 PM. It ran consecutively for 14 weeks in 2005, and started again on April 5/06. The market ran outdoors until October 25 then move indoors to the Vic West Y. Winter hours are Wednesdays from 3-7 PM. The outdoor market is located on the boulevard on Raynor Street beside the Rayn Or Shine Community garden.
The market is managed by the
Vic West Food Co-op, on behalf of the Vic West Community Association.
The Community Association was the applicant for the permit required
by the City and pays for the insurance coverage for the site.
The insurance cost is simply a rider on the Community Associations'
existing insurance policy. The market started off with one vendor
and has grown to four. Three of the vendors are farmers who have
their own stall; the fourth is the Vic West Food Co-op table.
The Vic West Food Co-op buys from local growers to sell at the market.
Besides local produce in season, the Co-op sells locally small batch
roasted coffee, flour and baked goods. Out of season, produce is imported
from as close to Victoria as possible.
The Vic West Farmers Market
is a good example of a pocket market in that it was initiated by a community
organization which is interested in increasing local food security in
their neighborhood by making locally produced goods available in the
neighborhood in addition to providing a market for local farmers and
urban gardeners.
What Exactly is a Pocket
Market?
A pocket market is a neighborhood
or community based market focused on local food and farm products.
It could be as small as one stand or much larger. A pocket market is
a way for neighborhoods to directly access locally produced food and
farm products and for local farmers and producers to sell their products
locally to the community. Pocket markets can be run in many different
ways and in diverse locations that make sense for the local neighborhood.
They can be held beside community gardens (as in Vic West); local neighborhood
houses or community associations; in office buildings, schools, recreation
centres, hospitals, care homes, condo developments, church yards and
halls; on vacant lots or in parks. They have the potential to
be as diverse as the neighborhoods or communities which support them.
The primary focus of a pocket market is to provide a venue for locally
grown and produced food to get to local communities and create a place
for people to gather, around food.
Benefits of pocket markets:
Pocket markets offer an opportunity
to get locally grown and produced food into local communities.
They allow for small scale producers and urban gardeners to make a fair
return on the goods they are growing or processing through selling to
the local eater. Pocket markets also allow producers to test new
products with access to instant customer feedback. It also allows
them to produce smaller amounts and to gradually "scale up" their
production.
Pocket markets provide the
neighborhood or community access to fresh local produce and products
grown and processed closer to their homes. In many neighborhoods,
options to buy fresh locally produced foods are limited by the types
of retail food outlets in or near the community. People are often
limited by their transportation options. Through neighborhood
pocket markets, they can more easily access fresh fruits and vegetables
and also have the opportunity to sample and learn about a variety of
produce and, in some cases, talk directly to the farmers and processors.
Pocket Markets can provide a diverse selection of heritage varieties
not available in larger commercial markets.
One of the major benefits of
a pocket market is that the location of the market encourages people
to walk or cycle and provides an opportunity for neighbors to engage
with one another, as well as the farmers and producers who attend.
An integral part of the market
is its ability to educate the public about local food security through
such things as featuring what is grown locally in season, through conversation
and through signage.
Supporting pocket markets allows
for community associations to have a venue to connect with community
members, and to provide them with information on other programs, services
and community events. In addition, pocket markets provide the
sponsoring community group with visibility at a low cost, and they are
seen to be providing a valuable service to the community.
What is the difference between
a Farmers market or community market and a
"pocket market"?
Although farmers markets (food
and farm products) or community markets (a mix of food, farm and crafts)
offer many of the same benefits of a pocket or neighborhood market,
they are much larger and serve a larger geographical region. A neighbourhood
pocket market would generally service a small neighborhood or community
and might also be organized and sponsored by a neighborhood based group
or association. It is inevitable that some "pocket markets"
may grow to become what is more commonly seen as a community or farmers
market. The final form of the market will depend on the interests of
the community and people involved.
Opportunities for Pocket
Market Development in the Capital Regional District
Pocket markets offer an important opportunity to provide a food distribution channel to local producers and processors. A food distributor could do this as well as provide a way to springboard and/or be a core infrastructure link to supporting pocket markets. FoodRoots Distributors Co-op, a distributor of local naturally grown produce and foods processed in our region, has been incorporated to help build links between local producers and eaters in the Greater Victoria Area. The Co-op incorporators (a farmer, a food retailer and a food activist) are developing FoodRoots in a way which reflects their interest in supporting community economic development and promoting food security. FoodRoots'Vision Statement:
The Co-op is designed to support
small to medium scale producers by buying their products at a fair price
and in quantities often difficult to sell into the commercial market.
FoodRoots will contribute to building local farmer capacity and provide
business incubation support as well as provide opportunities for training
around various roles in the food sector. FoodRoots Distributors Co-op
will play a central role in the development and proliferation of pocket
markets through managing markets; training community people to manage
their own markets; providing product and equipment to community groups
wanting to set up markets; being a vendor at local pocket markets; and
supplying other vendors at pocket markets. At present, there are three
pocket markets in operation: Vic West, U Vic and Camosun (Lansdowne
Campus). For more information on FoodRoots’ Pocket Markets, visit www.foodroots.ca
LifeCycles Interest and
Role in developing "pocket" neighborhood farmers markets
LifeCycles is a non profit
organization dedicated to cultivating awareness and initiating action
around food, health and urban sustainability. The organization
promotes initiatives that support the development of a regional
food system where local farmers and food processors are properly valued
and remunerated for their expertise as well as ensuring that all people
in the Capital Region have access to healthy diets.
LifeCycles is supportive of the development of Farmers markets and "Pocket Markets". Our role is to bring people together from diverse sectors and roles (farmers, processors, neighborhood groups, City officials, landowners, researchers, funders, media, financers etc.) to explore opportunities. As well, we can provide time and expertise in supporting neighborhood groups to develop markets. Lifecycles staff will also work to develop supportive policy and planning to facilitate market start up and sustainability.