There are many marketing opportunities for urban farmers. Growing food in highly visible and populated areas can attract customers and allow farmers to sell directly to consumers. There are challenges as well, such as competing with farmers from rural areas who have more land, can produce at a lower cost and have more product to sell.
Certified farmers’ markets are often a point of entry for beginning urban farmers. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is another common strategy. Both farmers’ markets and CSAs are forms of direct marketing, or selling straight from the farmer to the consumer. Organic certification is another consideration, since some consumers may be willing to pay more for organic produce. Some urban farmers may want to consider agritourism as an option for marketing their farm. The following resources offer more details about direct marketing and other strategies.
One resource for deciding how to price farm products is the USDA Market News website, which can be used to run custom reports for specific fruits and vegetables prices, both conventional and organic, at terminal markets in selected cities as well as offering current prices at retail stores.
Direct Marketing
ATTRA
UC Santa Cruz - CASFS
- Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability: Unit 5 Other Direct Marketing Options
- Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability: Unit 3 Overview of Produce Marketing
- Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability: Unit 4 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
UC SAREP
- New Farmer’s Guide: Cultivating Success at Farmers Markets
- Selling Directly to Restaurants and Retailers
Agritourism
UC ANR
- Marketing Strategies for Agritourism Operations
- Agritourism enterprises on your farm or ranch: Understanding regulations
- Agritourism enterprises on your farm or ranch: Where to start
Organic Certification, Marketing and Labeling