LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Farmers have taken a big financial hit in the face of climate change and rising inflation.
According to a report from Environmental Research Letters, U.S. farmers filed $27 billion in climate-fueled insurance claims between 1991 and 2017, affected by everything from drought, floods and extreme heat.
Those numbers are only rising.
Shivam Dhupar owns the Woodland Hills Farmers Market, and he doesn't charge the farm vendors a stall fee because he values a farmer's work and struggles.
Though other vendors pay a stall fee, Dhupar says he takes a financial hit but deems it worth it.
Stall fees differ from market to market but are usually up to 10% of the day's profits. The Santa Monica Farmers Market website says they charge a 6% profit fee for all their vendors.