WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Tables piled with carrots, cabbage, eggplants, onions and zucchini await customers in a park just off Redwood Road and 30th South.
Nathanial Modoubaye grew the vegetables he's selling at the International Rescue Committee's New Roots Farm, which helps refugees and immigrants with farming and business opportunities.
"They give me the plant and the seed to put down," Modoubaye told FOX 13 News on Wednesday.
He and others sell on Wednesday afternoons at Redwood Park. The International Rescue Committee also runs a market on Saturday mornings in Sunnyvale Park.
The New Roots Farmers Market was highlighted by state leaders who are calling attention to the importance of farmers markets in providing people with healthy, local food. Next week is Farmers Market Week in Utah and across the nation. Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said farmers markets are a way for people to get better quality food and their money helps their community.
"We have food deserts of nutritious food. You may find a lot of fast food restaurants but for the most needy communities, accessing fresh food and nutritious food is hard," Sen. Escamilla said. "That’s why these markets make a difference. They are in the communities, as you can see where we’re located. They’re growing it steps from where we are."
Utah now has 48 farmers markets in 20 of 29 counties, said Caroline Hargraves with Utah's Department of Agriculture & Food. It is the most ever, but there is increasing demand for them as people want more garden-fresh fruits and vegetables.
"On average at the grocery store, only 15 cents on every dollar goes toward farmers. The rest goes to the big food corporations for their marketing costs and distribution costs across long, fragile supply chains," said Chandler Rosenberg with the Utah Farmers Market Network. "Farmers markets allow more of our food dollars to go directly to the people producing our food."
Rosenberg said one thing they need more of is farmers, who can often only do one market per day. She called for efforts to help food producers.
Sen. Escamilla, who has run bills to help improve food security in Utah, said markets also take food assistance programs like SNAP and EBT for those in need.
"This is how we’re going to close those food gaps when it comes to food security. This is one of the many tools we’re looking into and we want to make sure people know it’s available for them," she said.
