We would like to welcome six new members to the Southern SAWG Board of Directors, all of whom who bring a tremendous range of experience and skills to the organization. They are: Tom Dierolf of Heifer International in Brevard, North Carolina; Dorothy Scarbrough of Mississippians Engaged in Greener Agriculture; Chris Campany, Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University; Steve Hodges of the Jubilee Project in East Tennessee; Demalda Newsome of Newsome Community Farms in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Rosa Shareef of the New Medinah Community in Sumrall, Mississippi. The new Board got off to a great start at our March retreat and Board meeting, and we look forward to continuing to work together toward Southern SAWG's mission.

Dorothy Scarbrough	Chris Campany
Steve Hodges	Tom Dierolf
Demalda Newsome

At this time we would like to thank five departing Board members for their years of service to Southern SAWG:  Ben Burkett, Felipe Camacho, Jay Fulbright, Peggy Sechrist and Alison Wiediger. We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Susan Anderson who, due to a change in life circumstances, had to resign from the Board after serving a few months in 2007. Finally, we want to express our deep appreciation to Scott Marlow, who served ably as our Board President during 2007, and to Marty Mesh for taking that post for 2008.

This next year will present some different challenges and opportunities for SSAWG as our new Executive Director, Jim Lukens, takes the helm and the Board charts the course ahead. Southern SAWG has indeed accomplished much and we should all take a moment to celebrate and be thankful. As we look ahead, there is work to be done on a number of important issues to ensure that we are positioned to move forward, and that the opportunities to make a positive difference are realized. The Board will be focused on ways to support Jim and the staff as they carry out the work of Southern SAWG.

Happily laden with bunches of greens, a fragrant loaf of whole-grain bread, and a circle of goat cheese, a young woman chats with a farmer as the farmer gently wraps an arrangement of vibrant flowers. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee wafts over them, and children tug at their parents as they stroll from booth to booth, selecting from the abundant wares.
    
This scene would have been as familiar to our ancestors as it is to us now, as spring signals the re-opening of local farmers’ markets. Throughout history, farmers’ markets have played a significant role around the world, serving as gathering places where people meet, exchange news, and visit, as well as buy and sell farm products, handicrafts, and other goods. Records dating back as far as early Mesopotamia show that public markets were a mainstay of community life, and an important factor in the economy.
   
During the late 1800s, as industrialization took hold, the popularity of farmers’ markets declined. More efficient modes of transportation, combined with urban growth, paved the way for the grocery store to become the main purveyor of food. Large-scale farming practices also contributed to the lessening importance of the farmers’ market.
   
The good news is that recent years have seen a resurgence of farmers’ markets throughout the United States, including the South. This is due, in large part, to the growing desire of consumers to buy fresh organic and sustainable products from local farmers, a trend fortified by widespread media coverage and popular books such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. According to the USDA’s National Directory of Farmers’ Markets, the number of markets in the U.S. grew from 1,755 in 1994 to 4,385 in 2006, more than doubling in just twelve years.
   
Sam Landes, a long-time shopper at the Morningside Organic Farmers’ Market in Atlanta, Georgia, reflects on why he shops the local farmers’ market. “It is a pleasure to meet the people who grow the food. It is educational and inspirational to talk with someone who picked your food the day before. Somebody who put the seed in the ground, and nurtured it to fruition.” Landes’ remarks express the sentiments of the many market shoppers driving the growth in farmers’ markets seen over the past decade.
   
Along with the wave of interest and demand for local food has come more information, resources, and funding opportunities, especially for those who are putting those seeds in the ground. Whether you are farming, running a market, or working to develop or improve one in your community, there are many books, periodicals, organizations, and resources that can help with issues ranging from deciding how and what to grow to increasing market traffic, handling vendor relationships and developing sound legal and financial practices. Read more… 

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