Growing up in Florida, although farmer's markets were not as abundant, I made it part of my weekly routine. There is nothing quite like navigating through the crowds of eager shoppers with the prominent scents of fresh produce and herbs overpowering. Oh, and you cannot forget about the dogs. If you're a dog person, do yourself a favor and visit a farmer's market! The market is the perfect place to bring together community members and spur up conversations about sustainability and healthy living.

Upon moving to NYC what truly surprised me was not only the abundance of farmer's markets but also the frequency of them. This is more practical to continuously ensure buying local, fresh organic foods. You can imagine that this boosts the local economy by driving profits towards small and medium size farms and away from big corporations. I began to go to these markets during my free time to show my support and observe the environment. It truly surprised me to see how enthusiastic New Yorkers and the vendors themselves were about promoting and embracing this form of sustainable agriculture. The more time I spent there, the more farmers I met and from our conversations it struck me how concerning packaged and processed foods actually are. If I am meeting the farmers that grow our food and they only have fresh ingredients, who is making these processed foods and what is really in them? What are we putting into our bodies? The rise of chronic disease and obesity is a direct effect of our current national food supply. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have access to organic, real food. Most of the NYC farmer's markets supply us with foods from all 5 of the major food groups. There are eggs, poultry, meats, yogurt, breads, oils, fruits and vegetables; all grown through humane, sustainable practices. The most comforting thing about going to local farmer's markets rather than any other source for groceries is that I know exactly where the food comes from and how it is produced by engaging in conversations with the various passionate vendors.

There are also many local, youth markets around NYC that are run by teens and college students. These markets, while providing all the benefits I previously mentioned, also helps the youth learn how to engage with the community by building business skills, doing cooking demos and various other activities. It’s important that the younger generations and college students begin to get involved in living sustainably at a young age in order to carry their experiences and knowledge with them into their communities as they grow older.

Last year in my environmental science class we had a field trip to the local Union Square farmer's market in which we questioned many farmers about their products. In the past I had always associated animals being raised and eventually butchered as being a harmful, inhumane process; however, it was truly reassuring to see that there were some pastures and farming methods that made the entire process as moral and peaceful as possible by eliminating all of the artificial, forced elements that come along with it all. As the farmer told me, all the animals on the farm are free-range and are raised on an entirely vegetarian diet. Ever since these reassuring conversations that I had with various vendors, I always choose local farmer’s markets to help support the emerging sustainable way of life and to be comfortable knowing exactly where my food and produce comes from.