Growing the Field: Current Approaches to Data Collection at Farmers' Markets

There is limited published research about the dietary impacts of farmers' markets. We sought to understand whether market managers collect data about markets and to examine the instruments and strategies used. Of the 359 market managers contacted across the United States, representing 543 markets, 185 managers participated in a telephone survey. A subset supplied copies of data collection tools for further analysis. Ninety-three percent of market managers collect data such as customer surveys, vendor applications, customer counts, or demographics. The potential utility of the data collected by mangers and suggestions for study of the dietary impacts of farmers markets are discussed.