National (& Alaska) Farmers Market Week
August 6th - 12th 2023
Guest Blog Post by Claire Marshelak, Alaska Farmers Market Association, Co-Director
In less than a week the 24th annual celebration of National Farmers Market Week (NFMW) will begin. NFMW celebrates the efforts of local food systems across the nation, highlighting the fruitful efforts of our Farmers Markets, farmers, market gardeners, producers, and local foods community.
In tandem with NFMW, Alaska Farmers Market week has officially been declared by Governor Mike Dunleavy. Alaska Farmers Market Week! AFMA will showcase how our Markets have changed the way we interact with food, land, and community.
Alaska markets have been providing local food to community members for years. Tanana Valley Farmers Market is celebrating its 50th year, Soldotna Saturday Farmers Market is in its 28th year, and many other long-standing markets reign in another season of local food. Long-standing markets have built a foundation for our local foods to flourish and inspire new markets to bud.
The foundation that Alaska Farmers Markets are built provides space for new markets to bloom. This season Alaska welcomes new Farmers Markets focused on growing strong community roots. The Matanuska Community Farmers Market and Sunday Fresh Market @ O’Malley are two new markets that feature local food producers that put food access at the forefront of their mission. Matanuska Community Farmers Market serves the Palmer area with a number of food access programs including SNAP at the market, Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and Farm to Food Bank initiatives.
Alaska Farmers Market Association(AFMA) has introduced new Food Access Programs this season. Seven markets are participating in AFMA’s Market Match Program, a SNAP doubling program funded by the State’s Designated Legislative Grant Program. Find a list of participating markets here. Additionally, a number of Markets and Farmers are participating in AFMA’s Local Food Box program, a Farm to Food Bank initiative funded by Alaska Division of Agriculture’s USDA Local Food Purchase Program (LFPA).
As National Farmers Market week approaches AFMA will celebrate all that our markets have done over the years and look toward all that our markets will grow in the future. To join in the celebration consider joining in the following
Join AFMA’s Photo Contest to win you and your favorite market manager a prize. To participate, submit your favorite photo from the 2023 market season here or send to foodaccess@alaskafarmersmarkets.org. Photos sent in by August 6th will be published on social media for a public vote. The photo with the most votes receives $25 for the photographer and $25 for the market manager
Submit a local proclamation in your community. To do so, partner with your town, city, or borough officials to make NFMW an official celebration. Follow this link for a proclamation template.
Visit your local market and celebrate all those who support local food. Find your local market in the AFMA Directory.
