Farmers Markets Can Be a Form of Climate Action. Here's How

To address the food insecurity problem among its low-income students, Columbia University launched Swipes, a meal sharing app in which students with a surplus of “meal swipes” could donate them to students in need. But when that app struggled to function and roll out properly, Columbia looked downtown to New York University, where student Jon Chin launched a similarly purposed but more effectively designed app, Share Meals. So far, the app has enabled over a thousand meal donations, and is hoping to work with Columbia to share its code and expand its donor services.

The Rooftop Medicine Farm in Oakland, Calif., grows fresh produce to donate to food insecurity programs such as the UCSF Pediatric Clinic’s Food Farmacy, POOR Magazine’s Sliding Scale Cafe, and Moms 4 Housing. The urban farm also acts as an educational resource to help those served by these programs learn about healthy foods and urban agriculture.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, small farmers in Michigan are coming up with different business models in order to get their produce into consumers’ hands. Fisheye Farms in Detroit created a community-supported agriculture, or CSA, subscription program. However, the program is only meeting approximately one-third of its necessary finances, and they hope to find a balance with other offerings. Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor quickly turned their online store into a popular digital farmers market, increasing its customers from eight to 2,500.

Across America, there is a food insecurity problem that increasingly impacts children as they head into summer breaks from school. To address the gap that is created during this time, a school district in Denver, Colorado has turned to recycling out-of-use school buses into mobile cafes that are open to all students during lunchtime, regardless of the district they live in.

Brown's Super Stores operates seven profitable supermarkets in traditionally food desert neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The founder says it's because they brought together a group of community leaders and asked them exactly what they were looking for in a neighborhood grocery store, and used the information to truly create a space for the broader community that often includes health care clinics, banking services, event space, and more.

Sack farming—growing crops in soil-filled recycled bags within household compounds—has enabled farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria, to overcome climate challenges by producing vegetables and tubers that significantly reduce household food expenses, generate supplementary income from excess harvests, and provide up to 80% crop success rates.

Watanda is a bulk-shopping system that helps ensure low-income families have access to meat during the Eid-al-Fitr celebration following Ramadan. In Watanda groups, members contribute money to a collective fund to purchase cattle that is then split between all the contributors. Amidst the rising cost of cattle, Watanda groups help ensure families have food on the table and can still participate in celebrations.

The BC Farmer’s Market Nutrition Coupon Program in British Columbia, Canada, provides lower-income families and seniors with coupons to purchase food at farmer’s markets. The program improves food security by ensuring more people have access to fresh, healthy food and supporting local farmers.

Farm stands operating on sliding-scale and pay-what-you-can models are improving access to fresh, healthy food in communities battling poverty and food insecurity. In these models, residents who can afford to pay full price are subsidizing some of the costs for residents who cannot. The rest of the funding comes from a patchwork of support.

Over 20 organizations in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago work together under the name Austin Eats to improve healthy food access with food pantries, community gardens, and grocery stores.