Scaling up Farmers Markets in Thailand: Obstacles and Opportunities

When food becomes a commodity, natural resources and farmers' livelihoods are commoditized. However, the price of environmental and agricultural labor is suppressed. During the pandemic, numerous farmers' markets in Thailand gained more attention from the public since people craved fresh food, and open-air markets provided a sense of safety. This study was conducted during the crisis to investigate these alternative markets' role and explore how to scale up this food initiative. We conducted interviews with market managers and observed nine farmers' markets nationwide. Additionally, we collected questionnaires from 55 peasant sellers and 110 buyers using purposive sampling. Findings are that farmers markets provided a platform for increased visibility, empowered farmers through entrepreneurial ventures, and revitalized the consumer-grower bond. By offering diverse products and fostering a sense of responsibility among consumers, these markets have built trust within urban communities and strengthened rural networks. Various barriers and opportunities for scaling up farmer markets are the lack of excellent and affordable market locations, the lack of entrepreneurship skills of farmers, consumer expectation of off-season food, price and cost of standardization of organic food provision, etc. Some best practices will be presented and discussed.