Fall farmers market returns
The Christensen Office of Social Action and Sustainability holds a farmers market for students from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the TSC plaza. This market kicked off on Sept. 4 and will come to an end on Oct. 9, repeating weekly on Wednesdays.
The market features a variety of vendors, selling both food and handmade items, live music performed by local musicians and a program designed to give students more spending money.
“The farmers market started a couple of years ago, and the purpose was to actually work with a grant called Double Up Food Bucks,” said Ella Leonelli, the student sustainability engagement lead. “What it is, is you give me $1, and I give you $2 that you get to spend on food at the USU farmers market.”
Originally launched in 2017, the farmers market aims to promote sustainable choices for the economy and environment, as well as create a space for students to socialize with one another.
“The farmers market is kind of just a way to promote local goods within the campus community,” said Mercy Smith, the True Blue Reuse & Repair lead. “A lot of the time, local goods are a little bit more sustainable when you think about the transportation costs. There’s just less of that industrial aspect.”
Sustainability is one of COSAS’s main goals. The farmers market runs on sustainable practices, such as choosing local vendors, keeping food from going to waste and promoting organic goods. The market also encourages students to adopt more sustainable habits by emphasizing the importance of reducing food waste and supporting local businesses.
“Part of what they get to do with the USU Farmers Market is any of the food that people don’t pick up or wouldn’t have been purchased that week, they get to sell at the farmers market. So that’s food that would have gone to the waste that is now being diverted from the waste stream,” Leonelli said.
Student health and well-being is a top priority for the farmers market. The market provides students with access to cheaper and organic produce they may not be able to afford otherwise. Having healthy food is a necessity for students’ physical and mental health.
The farmers market has big plans for the future, and one of the biggest goals is to expand. This would include more vendors, more time in the day dedicated to the market and a bigger grant for the Double Up Food Bucks program.
“The next couple of things are going to be expanding it, making it hopefully last longer throughout the day and potentially having the opportunity to write a larger grant for the Double Up Food Bucks program,” Leonelli said.
In order to expand, the market would require more attention and awareness from both students and the local community.
“A big goal would be to just spread awareness to the wider campus community, so people know that it goes on and then also, recruiting of vendors,” Smith said. “Just getting the word out to more people in the wider community would be a good goal.”