Farmers markets deliver what communities NEED
Neighborhood Exchange Evaluation Device measures farmers markets' impact on social capital.
Part of the presumed appeal of farmers markets is that they deliver a triple bottom line: one that benefits farmers, consumers, and the larger community. However, despite the anecdotal evidence of farmers markets’ human and social benefits, very little field research has been done to test this assumption. In 2007, marketumbrella.org developed and piloted its social capital measurement tool, called Neighborhood Exchange Evaluation Device, or NEED, at public markets in New Orleans and Santarém, Brazil as part of its trans•act program. In the summer of 2008, marketumbrella.org utilized a refined NEED to measure the impact of eight Los Angeles farmers markets on the neighborhoods they serve. Learn more about our work in LA by reading this fieldnote.