Beijing Farmers Market: Eat and Shop Local at Country Fair
Country Fair organizers Emi Uemura and Caroline Merrifield tell us how we can get acquainted with our local organic farmers.
How does Country Fair work?
Country Fair developed out of a need to connect Beijing’s organic farmers with the city’s consumers. The event – modeled after farmers’ markets like those in Canada or the US – works as a platform for consumers to engage directly with the people who feed them, and for farmers to practice direct marketing. Our hope has been that the Country Fair events will increase consumers’ understanding of our urban food system, supporting the efforts of Beijing’s small-scale organic producers.
How do you see the local organic farming industry growing in the next few years?
The first question to answer might be what we mean by ‘organic.’ China’s official “green” and organic standards are convoluted and poorly-understood and -received by consumers, for a number of reasons; and gaining certification is complicated and expensive, undergone mostly by larger corporate farms.
The core group of farmers working with us on Country Fair is committed to producing safe, healthy food – which, for them, means no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and the use of traditional growing techniques to promote soil fertility and farm biodiversity. Their products are organic in the spirit of the law, so to speak, rather than the letter. In general, these farmers have a “做到哪儿，说到哪儿” (tell it like it is) policy in talking about their products: they are excited to share the details of their farming practices with consumers.
Agriculture in the greater Beijing area is diverse, and the organic farmers involved in Country Fair represent a small minority – albeit a thriving and enterprising one. There are larger corporate farms around the city, both green/organic and conventional; but also smaller farms worked by suburban peasants, plots rented out by urban residents for ‘natural’ farming, and everything in-between.
Many of the farmers who participate in Country Fair follow a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operating model, which means that consumers pay for products up-front, at the beginning of the season, in exchange for shares of the farm’s produce delivered throughout the season. This model allows for the risk inherent in production to be shared between farmers and consumers.
Little Donkey Farm, a CSA farm affiliated with People’s University that has been in operation since 2008, has been very influential in popularizing the CSA model in Beijing’s organic community.
Beijing’s expanding middle-class consumer base is attuned to issues of health, food safety, food quality, and, increasingly, environmental protection. Demand for safe and healthy food – even at a higher price point – will only continue to grow in the future. The challenge is in how to bridge the disconnect between organic farmers and consumers – how to overcome, or work around, the informational asymmetries that keep consumers mistrustful and farmers wary.
What role do you see Country Fair in particular playing in that development?
Country Fair is a small effort to open up an alternative market space in which trust between farmers and consumers, built through direct dialogue, acts as ‘certification.’ Farmers are able to obtain fair prices for their high-quality products, and consumers can put a face to the food on their table.
Ultimately, we Beijingers are all responsible for the development of sustainable foodways here – it’s a question of the choices we make every day when deciding what, and how, to eat.
Do you draw from working with farmers' markets in other countries? How does that experience translate directly to China?
Country Fair is modeled on farmers’ markets held all over the world in which farmers promote alternative notions of value. Self-consciously local/sustainable market events are something of a new beast in China. It has been a challenge to communicate to consumers what Country Fair is all about; and at the same time the farmers, who are completely overloaded with work and delivery schedules, have been incredibly gracious about supporting an event that, at least for now, does more to serve educational purposes than their immediate economic interests. To accommodate the farmers’ schedules, we have been holding Country Fair events every other month; and we have been experimenting with different host locations and fair-time activities.
How does the Country Fair benefit local farmers?
The market provides an opportunity for farmers to exchange and communicate among themselves, and an opportunity for them to interact with, and educate, interested consumers. We hope that Country Fair will provide them with concrete economic benefits – in the form of new customers – and a sense that their efforts to feed Beijing well are neither isolated nor unappreciated.
Why should we go to the Country Fair?
To meet farmers with cool stories to tell. To buy delicious fresh eggs with yolks a yellow you have to see to believe, a giant pumpkin for soup, or amazing local cheese. To learn about how food is grown around Beijing, and to check out our developing map of farms around the city. And of course, to run into old friends, and make new ones.
What kinds of vendors can we find at the Country Fair?
Local farmers: Little Donkey Farm, Fangjia Farm, Sunlin Farm, De Run Wu, God’s Grace Garden, Phoenix Commune
Distributor of local/organic products: Ground Green Union
Local French-style cheesemaker: Le Fromagerie de Pekin
Environmentally-friendly goods and environmental education: Hanhaisha, Shoutu Yifang
…And more!
If the Country Fair didn't exist, what would that mean?
Many consumers want to buy organic products, but they are concerned about whether they can trust supermarket organic labels and lack the tools and information to directly contact local farmers. Country Fair provides a great opportunity to practice active, responsible consumption – and a much-needed platform for exchange.
Where can we find more information?
Douban: www.douban.com/event/13499133/
Weibo: http://t.sina.com.cn/1918547924
You can also contact Farmersmarketbj@gmail.com
The next Country Fair takes place this Saturday on Mar 12 from 10am-3pm at Studio-X.
Studio-X. A103, 46 Fangjia Hutong, Andingmen Naidajie, Dongcheng District (6402 8682) 东城区安定门内大街 方家胡同46号A103
