One of my biggest takeaways from this week’s reading was the collective power of farmers’ markets. When I was little, I used to love going to the farmers’ market and getting a croissant as big as my face. I had no idea that farmers’ markets could be used to provide an outlet for political action or strengthen community. As I progressed in the reading, I realized that the farmers’ markets near where my family lives were all created with the same central idea and goals; homogenizing the experience within the area. However, this is not the case in Hawai’i. HFBF markets, People’s Open Markets, and Private Markets all exist with the common goal of selling farm fresh produce, but their customer base, set-up, and marketing style are very different. I thought it was interesting that there was so much variation in the markets in such as small area. I also thought it was interesting that women who farm tend to use direct outlets, such as farmers’ markets. Women also farm differently than men, choosing to grow diverse crops on a small sale as opposed to large-scale monoculture. The USDA data that only 166 US farms are certified organic caught my eye, because one would think there would be more organic farms in the US. When I worked at a garden center over the summer, my boss would point out to me the growers that grew their plants organically but were not certified organic. This is because it is expensive to stay certified and many growers do not feel like it is worth it to have the label. As a result, the growers who are certified are larger, more commercial operations who can afford to stay certified and place value on the label. This can be seen in Hawai’i, where many of the farmers grow organic produce but are not certified organic.
Week 7 Blog Post- Food and Power in Hawai’i
