When it comes down to nutrition and sustainability there is a clear image that comes to mind: farmers’ market. While many residents know that Fayetteville hosts its farmers market on Saturday mornings in the town square there are folks that have yet to immerse in this unique experience. After all, with all the news of the dangers of pesticides and the development of diseases such a E.coli on produce, you want to be able to trace back the source of your food and what better way than to buy locally. I was able to sit down and interview a friend who has entered the business of the farmers market. Mauricio Gonzales is a Senior at the University of Arkansas majoring in Business Administration and is a young entrepreneur when it comes to selling produce. He reveals that farmers markets are a place where young and old can reconnect with the fruits of the their harvest.
Interview:
Ana: What made you get into the being part of the farmers market and when did you start?
Gonzales: I started two years ago and they way I started off was because I was talked into it. My girlfriend and her parents are farmers and they grow produce. I saw it as an interesting way to get hands on experience in conducting good business. Plus, I like the atmosphere. It promotes a community atmosphere. Ana: Where do you grow your produce? Gonzales: I have a farm on the west side of Gentry.
Ana: What do you usually grow?
Gonzales: I grow lettuce, spinach, habanero peppers, and even peanuts.
Ana: What was your initial experience like?
Gonzales: It was a good experience. I saw it as a community gathering more than business specially in a time when it is so impersonal to sell a good. The way this runs is that on Friday I do the manual work which is to pick the produce and clean it and package it to be ready for Saturday morning. On Saturday, I get up by 4:30am to get to the farmers market by 6am and set up for the days work.
Ana:What makes you different from other vendors?
Gonzales: When I first started, I had the idea of making ourselves different than the competition by making sure that the booth was neat, we would offer hand sanitizer for the folks that walked by, we would focus on the visibility of the produce and would try to keep it as fresh as possibly by spraying it. Plus, with my ability to speak Spanish I was able to reach a market that others couldn’t.
Ana: What does it mean to grow organic?
Gonzales: It means that we don’t grow our produce with pesticides. Although it is a great risk, we decide to cope with the results because in the end this is what is more nutritious. Sure we lose some of our crop to bugs like june bugs that eat the leaves.
Ana:How do you feel farmers markets are contributing to the economy and to sustainability?
Gonzales: I feel that farmers markets help communities obtain a sense of identity given that people are able interact and ask questions about where their food was grown instead of just buying a produce that is out of season that cannot compare to the authentic taste of growing organically. I do feel that farmers markets are contributing to the economy of the state because the money is kept within the state and doesn’t flow out. I would promote people to grow their own gardens if they are interested in doing their part to increase sustainability. This would also help people obtain a sense of how much hard work goes into harvesting the food that will nourish them.
Ana: Do you find that you can thrive amongst competition?
Gonzales: Against corporations, no. But we have community members that go to grocery stores and buy the produce and sell it at the farmers market claiming that it was grown locally. This technique is frowned upon by many farmers, but as competition drives up people will find ways to stay ahead of the curve. We have farmers currently scouting the farms to make sure that they are growing what they are selling.
anita06
