Virginia State University Co-Hosts First Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference to Strengthen Local Food Systems
At Virginia State University (VSU), the College of Agriculture is committed to the integrated well-being of communities, and agricultural innovation and sustainability. The natural intersection of these is at a farmer’s market, where local producers and the community come together to celebrate and strengthen local food systems. This November, VSU and the Virginia Farmers Market Association (VAFMA) partnered to host the first Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference in Richmond, Virginia, to bring farmers, market managers, agriculture policy makers and community partners together to share passion and ideas for small and local farms, increasing food access, healthy communities and farmers markets.
The culture of farmer’s markets in Virginia has flourished in recent years, thanks in part to the work of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) at Virginia State University. Dr. Theresa Nartea is the Extension Specialist for Marketing and Agribusiness at VSU, and she is dedicated to supporting and growing farmers markets in the region. “I remember in 2008, when farmers markets in Virginia were beginning to come into full blossom,” she says. “There were just a handful of Virginia farmers market managers, many of whom were seeking support for different state agencies.” Among those agencies were VCE and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. From those early collaborative workshops, Dr. Nartea saw a need for more focused education and networking opportunities. In 2011, VSU applied for and was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish the Virginia Farmers Market Association, VSU’s co-host of the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference.
This three-day conference' hosted over 250 participants from the Mid-Atlantic including Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, North Carolina, as well as participants from Trinidad and Tobago. Conference attendees learned from speakers representing different sectors of Virginia’s agriculture community, and enjoyed social networking opportunities and dozens of targeted workshops where participants could gain new skills or earn certification like the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification. The 2024 conference’s theme was “Passport to Success: Leveling Up” and focused on providing attendees with actionable tools that will serve them immediately in their businesses or markets. Participants chose one of three tracks: New Market Managers, Experienced Market Managers, and Vendors.
From accounting to forming community partnerships, and discussing food as medicine to learning how SNAP-Ed partners with farmers and markets in the Mid-Atlantic region to increase fresh produce consumption in SNAP eligible families, the conference had educational and business boosting opportunities for all participants. For Dr. Nartea, the conference was a chance to continue VSU and VCE’s efforts to strengthening community well-being and Virginia’s famers market culture. “I believe farmers markets are an integral part of healing our society because they bring people together over the love of all things food,” says Nartea. “At a farmers market, we find real connections, and encounter neighbors who raise or grow food that is delicious and nutritious.”
Virginia State University has a longstanding dedication to supporting small farms, historically underserved communities and urban agriculture. “Partnering with VAFMA to host this conference, VSU furthers its work to empower farmers by establishing and fostering fruitful farmers market partnerships which provide welcoming, inclusive and equitable access to diverse and profitable markets for our risk-averse target audience of small, limited resource, minority and beginning and veteran farmers,” says Dr. Nartea. The Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference happened just days after the 2024 Annual Small Farm Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, hosted by VSU’s Small Farm Outreach Program. At the national level, VSU is leading efforts to develop the National Urban Agriculture Program, or NuAg, [AC1] to connect urban growers with expertise and Farm Service Administration services. At the heart of local food production, Dr. Nartea sees critical human connection. “Farm fresh foods revive our love of all things local, and more importantly, restore our love for each other despite our differences,” she says. For the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference participants, the connections made over the three-day conference could be just the beginning.
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