Considering the ever-increasing availability and popularity of food supermarket chains, farmers' markets have been studied since the 1980s as places of consumption politics and practices in the context of the sustainable food movement and local cultivation. (1) They have a special significance precisely in the social aspect, because direct and personal contact between consumers and manufacturers contrasts strongly with the standardized service experience in the supermarket.
Riga has a significant number of markets of different scales and types, starting with the Central Market, which stands out for its size in the European context, and ending with hundreds of street sales points scattered throughout the city. Although apparently informal, this form of trading is in fact strictly regulated - both the payment of taxes is controlled and a register of all trading places is maintained. (2)
“In the context of urban planning, it is essential to be aware that people from very different social straits visit the markets in Latvia, and it is essential to preserve this diversity. Scientific studies confirm that the accessibility of markets is one of the factors that help promote food literacy, which in turn has a positive effect on public health.”
Food literacy in the Western world is decreasing more and more rapidly, as society's consumerism and reliance on the standardized food supply of supermarkets increases. It promotes unsustainable lifestyles, dependence on store supply and excessive use of industrially processed food products, (3) as well as diminishing cultural and biological diversity. (4)
Hinrichs, C. (2015). Farmers Markets: Settings for Food Politics and Sites for Consumption. In: The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies/ Wiley-Blackwell, Eds: D.T. Cook and J. M. Ryan, Wiley-Blackwell.
Rīgas valstspilsētas pašvaldība (2021). Saskaņoto reģistrēto ielu tirdzniecības vietu saraksts. Pieejams: https://www.riga.lv/lv/media/27818/download
Jaffe, J. and Gertler, M. (2006). Victual Vicissitudes: Consumer Deskilling and the (Gendered) Transformation of Food Systems. Agriculture and Human Values. 23. 143-162.
Carolan, M. (2015). Re-Wilding Food Systems: Visceralities, Utopias, Pragmatism, and Practice. In: Sock, P., Rosin, C., Carolan, M. (eds.) Food Utopias: An Invitation to a Food Dialogue (pp.126-139), Routledge.