Local farmer's markets are adapting to keep customers and vendors safe during the pandemic. Some small agricultural producers are even finding ways to sell their produce through websites and delivery. Mark Duggan spoke with Melanie McKinney Gonzalez, market manager for the Durango Farmer's Market to learn more:
A visit to the Farmer's Market is a Saturday morning ritual for some people. More than a place to buy tomatoes and garlic, the market serves as a community gathering hub. Friends get to catch up with each other. The kids get their faces painted. And a singer gets to try out their latest song on the crowd.
But now, community spaces and crowds are fraught with peril. A busy Saturday market, aisles crammed with people, isn't safe. So local markets have had to adapt.
At theDurango Farmer's Market, manager Melanie McKinney Gonzalez says they've spread vendors six feet apart. Hand washing stations are available and crowding is discouraged. The market's requirement that vendors wear masks predates the city's face covering mandate.
To reopen, McKinney Gonzalez consulted with other farmer's markets and sought guidance from Durango and San Juan Basin Public Health officials.
“We were in communication with both city staff and health department staff, probably from mid-March through our opening,” she says. “We are still continuing conversations with them about any changes we want to make.”
The coronavirus has put a damper on people's activities this year. And its being reflected at farmer's markets as less foot traffic and sales. That puts a dent in the income of small farmers and producers. So some of the market's vendors are going digital. They're turning to websites and social media to sell and deliver their products.
McKinney Gonzalez says the Durango Farmer's Market is encouraging its vendors to use the internet to supplement the weekly market.
“My concern is not so much that commerce happens Saturdays between eight and noon,” she explains. “The focus of the market is get our local citizens connected with our local agriculture.”
The websiteSouthwest Producers also aims to help. It provides a directory of producers,community supported agriculture farms, produce stands, and farmer's markets. The idea is to connect Four Corners farmers and ranchers directly with consumers.
KSUT COVID-19 news reporting is made possible by support from individual donors and the Colorado Media Project.
