Los Angeles has the highest number of people experiencing food insecurity in the nation. But a mobile farmers market featuring Black-owned businesses and farmers is helping improve access to food. Prosperity Market’s co-founders talked to “LA Times Today” during one of their monthly pop-up markets.
“Prosperity Market is a global farmers market and we support Black farmers, food producers and chefs. We travel all over LA, making it easy and convenient to support us, and we also create food access in the communities that need it most. We regularly work with about 30 vendors. We have a running list of over 60 vendors that we work with, depending on the events, the occasion, what we’re doing,” said co-founder and COO, Kara Still.
The markets regularly feature 30 vendors, from urban and community farmers to artisans and jewelry makers. CEO of Prosperity Market, Carmen Dianne, talked about the challenge of filling the market with all Black farmers when only 1.3% of all farmers in the U.S. are Black.
“A lot of Black farmers don’t have the acreage and the land and the space to be considered farmers. And a lot of that is because of the intentional red tape, redlining and barriers. That’s been done through the government to create difficulties for farmers to get funding land resources,” Dianne said.
Still and Dianne’s dream is to build a completely mobile farmers market on wheels. They set up a crowdfunding campaign and reached their goal to create a trailer that will hold the market and a van that will serve as a food truck.
“If we’re able to support each other or patronize each other, help each other with marketing tools and education and things that will help us expand our business, then it creates jobs, it brings in money. The business is able to grow, and then you’re able to do more for the community that’s supporting you and that you’re supporting,” Still said.
The Prosperity Market trailer is expected to debut in early 2023. Visit prosperitymarketla.com for the latest news and updates.
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