Measuring The Economic Impact Of Farmers' Markets On Local Economies In The Basque Country

Farmers' markets are a traditional exchange space for local peasants, around which alternative agri-food networks (AFNs) are being built on a local scale. These AFNs seek to establish quality and trust-based equitable relationships within value chains. The main objective of this paper is to measure the economic impact of 10 farmers' markets on the local economy in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa (Northern Spain). To calculate the degree of impact, we use the tools of input-output analysis, adapting the SEED & NEED & FEED (Sticky Economic Evaluation Device & Neighborhood Exchange Evaluation Device & Food Environment Evaluation Device) approach to the specific context of the Basque Country. The results obtained give an economic value of the impact of these marketing spaces, including direct and indirect effects on other economic sectors. Furthermore, the results show that markets present other factors, not just economic, that add value for both producers and consumers, as well as for the local economy.This work has been supported by the Diputacion Foral (province government) of Gipuzkoa and the Federation of Rural Development Associations of Gipuzkoa Landaola. We are extremely grateful to the farmers and consumers of the local markets for their help and contribution to this research, and for their involvement with their territory on a day-to-day basis. In addition, we thank the members of the associations of rural development and agricultural techniques that have participated in order to share their direct experience of the farmers markets studied. Thanks also go to Daniel Lopez-Garcia for his inspiration for the conceptual framework debate contained in this text