Farmers’ Markets in Africa – A Sustainable Opportunity

Abstract

The traditional farmers’ market has provided visitors with the opportunity to purchase fresh produce directly from the farmer. More recently, farmers’ markets have become the focal point in many communities and offer a wide range of products and activities for visitors. However, it remains unclear how farmers’ markets add to the tourism economy and what theories surround the rise in farmers’ markets. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of farmers’ markets in Africa, focussing on the last decade. To accomplish the aim, this paper utilised document analysis. Therefore, previous studies on farmers’ markets were analysed to obtain a better understanding of this phenomenon in Africa. The findings suggest that most African countries face various challenges that hinder the growth of farmers’ markets. Nevertheless, farmers’ markets present favourable opportunities for sustainable growth. Farmers’ markets in Ghana, for example, are an established food source with multi-functionality being the driving force for growth. In Rwanda the purpose of farmers’ markets was to sustainably develop high-end tourism products. Studies in South Africa on farmers’ markets revealed that there was increasing need for consumers to experience local and sustainable offerings. This has led to significant growth of farmers’ markets, specifically in South Africa.

Keywords

• farmers’ markets
• multi-functionality
• authentic
• sustainable development
• agri-tourism