Delta Harvest market opens in Jackson to boost local farmers
Delta Harvest Neighborhood Market opened Thursday at the Jackson Medical Mall to connect Mississippi farmers with Jackson shoppers, organizers said. The weekly market will operate 2 p.m.-7 p.m. every Thursday and drew lines on its first day as customers bought vegetables, meat, eggs and meal kits, Mississippi Today reported.
The market was created by a partnership among the Itta Bena Economic & Cultural Alliance, the Jackson District Missionary Baptist Association and the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, Mississippi Today reported. Tracy Johnson, a consultant with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative who organized the market, said the goal is to connect farmers to communities and pay farmers more.
“The whole thing is about reviving this economy,” Johnson said, adding that money spent at the market stays in Mississippi, from the farmers to volunteers who ring up customers. He said the market is a pilot and could change hours or expand to multiple locations if successful. The opening event supports five farmers from the Southern Black Women in Agriculture cooperative, and organizers hope to expand to as many as 30, Mississippi Today reported.
Farmers at the market described the event as an opportunity to reach new customers. Patricia Porter of Lexington, who sold banana peppers, said she was pleased with the turnout. “It gets you out to other people to know that you’re growing healthy food,” she said, Mississippi Today reported. Nadean Randle and consultant Myra Bryant, who work with the cooperative, said organizers could eventually bring in many more growers and that their primary goal is feeding families in Jackson.
Shoppers said they came to support local growers. Dot Smith, 70, bought sweet potatoes and banana peppers to support farmers from her hometown of Lexington, Mississippi Today reported. Pamela Hurston, 62, bought mixed greens for a Sunday meal and said she wanted to be part of the effort. Joseph Latham, 26, a graduate assistant at the Jackson Medical Mall, said he plans to return and shift more of his grocery purchases to locally owned producers, Mississippi Today reported.
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