AgriNews Home Special Features Economic Impact of Agriculture Studies (University of Guelph)

3.0 Market Profile

3.1. Farmers’ Markets in Ontario

The first Market established in Ontario is the Kingston Market established in 1780 (FMO, 1997). Since that time, an increasing number of Farmers’ Markets have been established all over Ontario. According to Farmers Markets Ontario (FMO, 1997) the number of Farmers Markets in operation in 1997 was 127. There were 33 Markets (27%) in Eastern Ontario, 26 Markets (21.3%) in Western Ontario, 36 Markets (29.5%) in Central Ontario, and 27 Markets (22.7%) in Northern Ontario. The names of the villages/towns or cities where Farmers’ Markets are located are given in Table 3.1. The communities where Farmers’ Markets are located have populations’ that range from 1,000 inhabitants in Rainy River to about 3 million in Toronto.

3.2. Location of Farmers Markets

Farmers’ Markets are situated in different locations within the community. The majority of them (39.4%) are situated on streets. Other locations for Farmers’ Markets are parking lots (18%), Market squares (3.3%), malls (3.3%) etc.. A detailed distribution of Farmers Markets in relation to their location within the community is provided in Table 3.2.

Table 3.1. Distribution of Farmers’ Markets across the Province of Ontario.

No

East zone

West zone

Central Zone

North zone

1

Almonte

Brantford

Barrie

Algoma

2

Arnprior

Cambridge

Bolton

Bonfield

3

Belleville

Essex

Brampton

Bracebridge

4

Bewdley

Goderich

Brant Street - Burlington

Clover Valley

5

Brighton

Hagersville

Burlington

Cloverbelt Country

6

Brockville

Hespeler Village

Centre Mall - Hamilton

Cochrane

7

Campbellford

Horton

Dundas

Dorset

8

Carleton

Keady

Dunnville

Gore Bay

9

Carp

Kitchener

Etobicoke

Gravenhurst

10

Cobden

Lion's Head

Flamborough

Huntsville

11

Cobourg

London

Flesherton

Kakabeka

12

Combermere

Mitchell

Georgetown

Kapuskasing

13

Cornwall

Monkton

Guelph

Little Current

14

Gananoque

Owen Sound

Hamilton

Magnetawan

15

Kemptville

Paris

Meaford

Mindemoya

16

Kingston

Sarnia

Milton

New Liskeard

17

Lindsay

Simcoe

Mississauga

North Bay

18

Merrickville

St. Jacobs

Nathan Phillips Square - Toronto

North Shore

19

Metcalfe

St. Marys

Niagara Falls

Port Loring

20

Napanee

Stratford

Orangeville

Powassan

21

North Gower

Strathroy

Orillia

Rainy River

22

Ottawa By Ward

Tillsonburg

Oshawa

South River

23

Ottawa Organic

Walkerton

Oshawa

Spanish

24

Ottawa Parkdale

Wallaceburg

Penetanguishene

Sudbury

25

Pembroke

Waterloo

Port Colborne

Thunder Bay

26

Perth

Woodstock

Schomberg

Thunder Bay

27

Peterborough

  

Sherway

Timmins

28

Port Hope

  

St. Catharines

 

29

Prescott

  

St. Lawrence - Toronto

  

30

Renfrew

  

Streetsville

 

31

Seaway Valley - Cornwall

  

Thornhill

  

32

Stirling

  

Toronto Organic Market

  

33

Trenton

  

Tottentham

 

34

    

Welland

 

35

    

Weston Market - Toronto

  

36

    

York

 

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

Table 3.2. Distribution of Farmers Markets (FM) according to their location in the community.

No

Location of FM

Frequency

Percentage

1

Streets/Downtown

48

39.4

2

Parking lots

22

18

3

City/Town Halls

7

5.7

4

Parks

3

2.5

5

Post office

1

0.8

6

Church

1

0.8

7

Arena

6

4.9

8

Court house

1

0.8

9

Malls

4

3.3

10

Market squares

4

3.3

11

Train stations

1

0.8

12

Fairgrounds

11

9

13

Other locations

13

10.7

14

Total

122

100

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

3.3. Farmers’ Markets and the Number of Vendors.

The average number of vendors at each Farmers’ Market in Ontario ranges from a minimum of three vendors (example Kakabeka Farmers’ Markets located in the village of Kakabeka Falls - North zone) to a maximum of 350 (in Waterloo Farmers’ Market - West zone). Most of the Markets (31.1%) have between 11 and 15 vendors (Table 3.3, Table 3.3.1, Table 3.3.2, & Graph 3.1).

Table 3.3. Distribution of Farmers’ Markets by the number of vendors

Number of Vendors

Frequency

Percentage

Cumulative %

Less than 10

23

18.8

18.8

11 — 15

35

28.7

47.5

16 — 20

14

11.6

59.1

21 — 25

8

6.5

65.6

26 — 30

13

10.6

76.2

31 — 40

5

4.1

80.3

41 — 50

12

9.8

90.1

51 — 100

8

6.5

96.6

More than 100

4

3.4

100

Total

122

100

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

Table 3.3.1. Division of Farmers’ Markets in relation to the number of vendors .

Zone

Number of vendors

10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-50

51-60

51-60

81-90

> 90

Number of Farmers’ Markets per Zone

East

10

8

4

5

1

1

1

2

West

9

5

2

1

1

4

1

3

Central

3

8

5

3

5

1

7

1

2

1

1

North

10

10

5

1

1

Ontario

23

35

14

8

13

3

2

12

2

3

1

6

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

 

 

 

Table 3.3.2. Division of Farmers’ Markets in relation to the number of vendors (in percentages)

Zone

Number of vendors
 

10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-50

51-60

51-60

81-90

> 90
 

Percentages

East

43.5

22.8

28.6

  

38.5

  

50

8.4

      

33.4

West

  

25.7

35.7

  

15.4

33.3

50

33.3

50

33.3

100

50

Central

13

22.8

35.7

37.5

38.5

33.3

  

58.3

50

66.7

  

16.6

North

43.5

28.7

  

62.5

7.6

33.3

            

Ontario

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

\

Graph 3.1. Number of vendors per Market in Ontario.

3.4. Time of operation.

Farmers’ Markets have a wide range of operating times. We include here the number of hours per Market day, number of Market days per week and the number of months in a year.

3.4.1. Number of hours per Market day.

Just over a quarter of all Markets (27.7%) are open for five hours during a Market day. The minimum number of hours that a Market is open is 2 (Cochrane Farmers’ Markets - North zone) and the maximum number of hours is 13 hours (Belleville Farmers’ Market - East zone). More details are provided in Table 3.4.

Table 3.4.Distribution of Farmers’ Markets according to the number of hours open per Market day.

Number of Hours Open

Frequency

Percentage

Cumulative %

2

1

0.8

0.8

3

9

7.6

8.4

4

24

20.2

28.6

5

36

27.7

56.3

6

19

16

72.3

7

8

6.7

79

8

9

7.6

86.6

9

6

5

91.6

10

2

1.7

93.3

11

1

0.8

94.1

12

4

3.4

97.5

13

3

2.5

100

Total

122

100

  

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

3.4.2. Number of Market days per week.

The number of Market days per week ranges between one and seven. The majority of Markets (72.1%) are open only one day per week . The normal day of the week these Markets are open is Saturday. The only Markets that are open seven days per week are Ottawa By Ward Market and Ottawa Parkdale Market - East zone. The data on the number of days for all Farmers’ Markets in Ontario are provided in Table 3.5 and Table 3.5.1.

3.4.3. Number of months Markets are open.

About thirty-three percent of Farmers’ Markets in Ontario operate six months a year. Year round Markets represent the second largest category with twenty-eight percent of all Markets. More detailed figures are given in Table 3.6, Table 3.6.1, and Table 3.6.2. The Farmers’ Market which is open for the shortest period of time (two months) is located in Port Loring - North zone.

Table 3.5.Distribution of Farmers’ Markets according to the number of Market days per week.

No

Number of Market days/week

Frequency

Percentage

Cumulative %

1

1

88

72.1

72.1

2

2

21

17.3

89.4

3

3

8

6.6

96

4

4

2

1.6

97.6

5

6

1

0.8

98.4

6

7

2

1.6

100

7

Total

122

100

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

Table 3.5.1.Distribution of Farmers’ Markets according to the number of Market days per week (divided by zones).

Zone

Days per week

Total

1 D/W

2 D/W

3 D/W

4 D/W

5 D/W

6 D/W

7 D/W

East

20

4

4

2

2

32

West

20

3

2

1

26

Central

29

5

1

1

36

North

22

4

1

27

Ontario

91

16

7

2

2

1

2

122

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

Table 3.6.Distribution of Farmers’ Markets according to the number of months open.

No

Number of months/year

Frequency

Percentage

Cumulative %

1

2

1

0.8

0.8

2

3

6

4.9

5.7

3

4

9

7.4

13.1

4

5

21

17.2

30.3

5

6

40

32.7

63.1

6

7

4

3.3

66.4

7

8

6

4.9

71.3

8

9

1

0.8

72.1

9

12

34

27.9

100

10

Total

122

100

  

Source: Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

Table 3.6.1. Seasonal Markets divided by zone

Zone

Seasonal Markets

Period
 

Number

Percentage

  

East

26

29.5

April - December

West

13

14.7

April - December

Central

22

25

May - November

North

27

30.8

May - December

Ontario

88

100

  

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

 

Table 3.6.2. Year round Markets divided by zone

Zone

Year Round Markets

Number

Percentage

East

6

18.2

West

13

39.4

Central

14

42.4

North

Ontario

33

100

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

3.5. Farmers’ Markets and non-agriculture products.

Farmers’ Markets are an outlet not only for the farmers in the local area, but also for artisans and craftspeople. The majority of Markets (80%) have hand crafted products such as clothing, wood products, jewelry, knitted products, alternative medicine, etc. There is a considerable amount of variation among Markets in the range of craft items that are available. The distribution of Markets according to the percentage of craft products sold is given in Table 3.7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 3.7. Distribution of Farmers’ Markets according to the percentage of craft products.

Craft products (%)

Number of Markets

%

Cumulative %

0 - 5

39

20.2

20.2

6 - 10

21

3.4

23.6

11 - 20

19

1.7

25.3

21 - 30

32

0.8

26.1

31 - 40

7

6.8

32.9

50 - 65

4

0.8

33.7

Total

122

100

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

3.6. Farmers’ Markets and their administration.

A further element of variation between Farmers’ Markets is the manner in which they are administered. Fifty-one Markets (about 40%) are administered by Vendors Associations. The remaining Markets are administered by City Corporations, Business Improvement Associations, Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations. Additional details on Market administration are provided in Table 3.8 and in section 4.1 of this report.

Table 3.8. Farmers’ Markets and who administers them.

Administered By

Frequency

Percentage

Cumulative %

Vendors Associations

51

40.4

40.4

City Corporations

22

18.5

58.9

BIA

5

4.2

63.1

V.A. and other organizations

16

13.4

76.5

Chamber of Commerce

3

2.5

79

Other organizations

16

21

100

Total

122

100

  

BIA = Business Improvement Area V.A. = Vendors Associations

Source : Table compiled with data from FMO Directory 1997-1998

^ Top of page | Table of Contents | Next >