Plan for Dal campus farmers' market

Dalhousie student aims for trial run in March as part of Green Week

Jason Pelley says a farmers' market on campus will benefit both students and the community. Photo: Terrence McEachern

Jason Pelley says he's been working towards opening a farmers' market in Dalhousie University's student union building for about two years.

"They said it could never be done," said Pelley, who works in Dal's Office of Sustainability and is a 2006 graduate of their biology program.

Pelley will give the idea a test-run during Dal's Green Week. He has booked about six tables for the evening of Wednesday, March 11, and except for issues such as parking, he says the farmers' market during Green Week will go ahead as planned. "Everyone's been informed, everyone knows it's happening, I've gone around all the red tape."

Pelley says if the idea works, he'd like to try it again after Green Week. "I'd like to run it a bunch of times between now and the end of the year, use the summer to see how it went, and then, come September, launch it in a more formal sort of atmosphere," he said.

He says a farmers' market on campus would provide nutritious food for students and bring together the local community by attracting people onto campus who might not otherwise come.

"There's tons of potential for this on campus," said Pelley.

But Kelly Redcliffe, manager of the Wolfville farmers' market, says the community's response to their market's move into Acadia University's student union building in 2004 has been mixed.

"A lot of people don't want to or don't make their way onto the campus, whether it's a lack of familiarity or a lack of comfort with the university setting ... or even just knowing where it is on the university campus," she said.

She also says their move into the student union building was easier for their organization because they were already established.

"We're a renter, and there's all kinds of things they (the university) don't have to worry about that an organization that's not formed (yet) would have to worry about," said Redcliffe.

For someone trying to start a farmers' market, there are lots of details that need to be worked out before deciding on a location.

"Every single food vendor has to have contact with the food safety specialist in our area, they have permits that they have to have, we get all our vendors to sign forms that they're responsible for their own personal insurance and then on top of that we have insurance for the whole market," she said.

Meghann Bryans, communications co-ordinator for Dal's student union, said in an e-mail that they only have permission from the university's food provider to host a one-time farmers market for Green Week.

"As for a regular market, there has been no serious discussion so far. Because of the challenges associated with organizing the fair, ensuring farmers have licenses, and monitoring whether or not farmers are following all provincial regulations, this would require significant additional resources," she said.

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