About Us
The Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) places equity at the forefront of supporting the viability of community-driven marketplaces so that they can connect ALL consumers to local farms and businesses.
As a statewide, member-based association, we believe in:
Integrity & Quality
of each other and of our food sources
Community & Belonging
by including, not isolating others
Diversity & Unity
working towards shared values and common goals while respecting differences
Definitions
Farmers market: a public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives selling direct-to-consumer food and products which they have produced themselves.
In addition, the market may include a variety of vendors as determined by market management. A farmers market is organized for the purpose of facilitating personal connections that create mutual benefits for local farmers, vendors, shoppers, and communities.
Community driven marketplace: MIFMA defines community-driven marketplaces as farmers markets and other programs directly facilitating the exchange between consumers and producers of local food and farm products. These include mobile markets and food box programs in addition to farmers markets.
Racial Equity
In light of recent events and the subsequent momentum in the anti-racism movement across our country, many organizations, companies, and individuals have shared their position in this important work. Some statements we admire include those from the Farmers Market Coalition and the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.
Here is what we want to share:
- A reminder of who we are and our shared mission, vision, and core values
- A recap of the work we have done since our 2015 strategic planning session
- Our commitment that for us, this work is ongoing and just beginning
Who We Are
Mission: MIFMA advances farmers markets to create a thriving marketplace for local food and farm products.
Vision: MIFMA places farmers markets at the forefront of the local food movement and works to ensure all residents have access to healthy, locally grown food and that Michigan farmers markets receive policy support.
As a statewide, member-based association, we believe in:
- Integrity & Quality ~ of each other and of our food sources
- Community & Belonging ~ by including, not isolating others
- Diversity & Unity ~ working towards shared values and common goals while respecting differences
What We Have Done So Far
- MIFMA supports Michigan’s farmers markets in their goal to make fresh, local goods accessible to everyone through food access programs including SNAP/EBT, Double Up Food Bucks, Hoophouses for Health, and Produce Prescription.
- Our staff and board have engaged in various trainings, conferences, webinars, and challenges to build our awareness, knowledge, skills, and capacity relative to diversity, equity, and inclusion work so that we can become leaders in moving MIFMA along the Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization.
- As a result of our 2015 Strategic Plan, we established a Racial Equity Committee – with participation from board, staff, partners, and members. The committee is charged with guiding MIFMA in applying a racial equity lens to all of our organizational systems – internal and external – as well as all of our programming, events, and projects. MIFMA members can join this committee by contacting office@mifma.org.
- In 2016, we began incorporating racial equity sessions into our annual Michigan Farmers Market Conference. In 2019, the racial equity sessions became a mandatory part of conference participation and became the highest rated conference component by participants.
- In 2019 and 2020, we made revisions to our Event Details and Market Policies for the Farmers Markets at the Capitol to strengthen our anti-harassment policy and worked with our Racial Equity Committee to make an effort to recruit more businesses owned by people of color (POC) to participate in the markets as vendors.
- During the Market Manager Mentorship Program in both 2019 and 2020, we held designated sessions designed as foundational work for future participation in racial equity dialogues through MIFMA’s events and work.
- When assembling our 2019 and 2020 Board of Directors slate of candidates, we made an intentional recruitment effort to ensure representation from POC in all three categories (farmers markets, farmers and vendors, and professionals) and a farmers market serving an indigenous community.
What We Will Do in the Future
To date, our board, staff, and Racial Equity Committee have been intentional about doing the work of racial equity internally first and foremost so that our external work comes from a place of authenticity and accountability. We will ensure that both internally and externally, MIFMA is an actively anti-racist organization that makes a committed and transparent effort to advance the cause of racial equity in the farmers market sector and in the Michigan food system as a whole. We commit to supporting a culture of learning and curiosity where staff, board, and members are offered opportunities to learn about and be challenged by the intersections of race and the food system, with farmers markets at the forefront and in the center of this process. We commit to creating a culture where our staff, board, and members feel empowered to support anti-racist causes both personally and professionally. We commit to creating a system of accountability so that we can make sure we are following through on the goals and expectations we set for ourselves.
As an organization, our work to advance antiracism and equity has only just begun, but our investment in this area has become a part of who we are and will always be.