S09 - Session O1 - Pop-Up Farm Markets: Innovation for Sustainability in Urban Agriculture

Authors: Eric Barrett *, Robert Leeds

Pop-up farm markets have become a popular method of marketing fresh produce in urban areas. Different than traditional farmers markets, pop-up markets are usually a single farm offering fresh produce at different locations to meet the needs of the food insecure and to increase daily sales. Utilization of the pop-up method in urban areas expanded during the pandemic. This was due to the flexibility of government regulations which allowed urban farmers to try new things in locations where sales had not been permitted in the past. The results of this flexibility have been exposure to new customers, the ability to serve more food insecure communities, enhanced sales opportunity during peak harvest, and increased income for urban farms. The future of direct marketing local foods in urban areas needs to be sustainable to ensure urban farms can continue successful operations. Pop-up markets is one of the success stories in sustainability. This presentation will feature case studies of urban farms who utilized the pop-up concept during the pandemic and continue to use the method as a major part of the marketing plan. The presenters will share the positive attributes of pop-up markets, effective implementations, and continued challenges.