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To market, to market all across B.C.

The BC Farmers’ Market Trail is a new way to find nearby markets
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The BC Farmers’ Market Trail is a tool for both tourists and locals to find new markets to explore. (Photo courtesy Thomas Nowacyzynski)

Whether you’re looking for a market to buy local goods or want to explore the farmers’ market scene in a new town or city, the BC Farmers’ Market Trail can help.

The Market Trail website is part of an initiative spearheaded by the BC Farmers’ Market Association (BCFMA) to help make farmers’ markets easy to find.

“Farmers’ markets are a really good way to get to know a community,” said Heather O’Hara, executive director at BCAFM. “The goal of the Market Trail is really to get more people buying locally.”

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The website is broken down into regions to help users find the markets closest to them. Launched during the summer of 2018, the tool recently became available to market-lovers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. There are now 30 BCFMA members in the Island region.

To prepare for the regional launch, the BCFMA sent out a team of photographers to capture the culture of individual markets. Then, a narrative was created for each, so readers could get a sense of the types of products and overall vibe they can expect.

Currently, 145 markets across 10 B.C. regions are highlighted on the website. Five regions have been photographed and feature in-depth market back stories. The rest will be curated soon.

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O’Hara feels the Market Trail is useful for tourists as well as B.C. residents who may be looking to explore the far corners of the province. For example, there are three farmers’ markets on Haida Gwaii that many people are unaware of, she said.

The Market Trail initiative is a collaboration between the BCFMA, Destination B.C., Island Coastal Economic Trust, local tourism organizations and several other sponsors.

For more information about the Market Trail or to discover a new market to check out, visit bcfarmersmarkettrail.com.

Markets such as the Oaklands Sunset Farmers' Market in Victoria are featured on the Market Trail website. (Photo courtesy BC Farmers' Market Association and Webmeister Bud)


@devonscarlett
devon.bidal@saanichnews.com

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