It's a celebration of all things local across Chatham-Kent.
The Buy Local, Buy Fresh Farmers Market and campaign kickoff was held with a flag-raising ceremony at the Civic Centre in downtown Chatham Monday morning.
The market is organized by the Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA). It featured several local produce vendors and drew out a crowd of dozens of residents.
Local agriculture expert Kim Cooper said the event is a great way for people to see the abundance of produce that Chatham-Kent has to offer. The market is held annually every summer. According to Cooper, he often hears requests from residents who would like to see a farmers market held on a more frequent basis. He said logistics make it difficult but the municipality is always looking at different possibilities.
"For our vendors, they all have businesses...this is a sacrifice for them to come and do this. It's difficult and that's why it's hard to get a farmers market in Chatham, but we're still working on that," Cooper explained. "We have farmers markets [in other communities], there's one in Wallaceburg and Ridgetown. It's difficult for our vendors, I know that. I appreciate them coming out today you never know what the future holds."
The market is usually held in June, but this year it was pushed back to coincide with the release of the 2019-2020 Buy Local, Buy Fresh guide, sponsored by the KFA and supported by the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit and Economic Development department. The guide is in its 12th year of production and features a map that showcases 47 local businesses in the farming industry. It details the businesses' hours, what they offer and also features a chart to show what time of year certain produce is in season.
MaryAnne Udvari, chairperson of Buy Local Buy Fresh Committee, said the guide is a valuable offering to Chatham-Kent.
"It's really important because people like to know where their food is coming from, who's growing it and how it is grown," she said. "So they have that opportunity to go to each of these locations. Some of them offer tours, but primarily it's to really see where your food is coming from."
The Buy Local, Buy Fresh guide is available at the Civic Centre in Chatham, service centres and libraries across the municipality as well as online.
