Italian and United States Farmers' Markets: Similarities, Differences and Potential Developments

Abstract

Several studies, conducted across Europe and North America, have shown rising consumers' consideration of farmers' markets as important sources of local products from sustainable agricultural practices and increasing attention of farmers to this sale channel, in a period in which their share of the “food dollar” is continuing to decrease. In the present article a qualitative analysis on two farmers' markets, Naples in Italy and Washington, DC, in the United States, was conducted exploring the core features of the markets and revealing their main similarities, differences, and potential developments. Semi-structured interviews with vendors and direct observation gave a number of key insights of the two farmers' markets, enlightening that Italian consumers' main motivation to patronize the market is bargain, whereas in the American market the main feature is shoppers' desire to sustain local community and find high-quality foods