High School

If you are interested in this work, a well-rounded high school education should include course work in business, math, earth science, advertising, marketing, English, and computer science. Take classes in agriculture and ecology if your school offers them. Knowledge of another language can be beneficial in communicating with customers, employees, and farmers from other countries, so be sure to take foreign language classes as well.

Postsecondary Training

Some farmers markets may require managers to have an undergraduate degree, while others may prefer prior work experience at a farmers market. Course work in business, marketing, advertising, agriculture, social sciences, environmental studies, communications, and English are beneficial.

Other Education or Training

The Farmers Market Coalition offers professional development seminars on topics such as food safety, marketing, and financial issues. NAFDMA (formerly known as the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association) provides workshops and seminars at its annual conference. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

There is no certification or licensing available for farmers market managers and promoters.

Any sales or management experience will be useful for farmers’ market managers and promoters. Try to find jobs or volunteer positions with local farmers’ markets or any retail operation.

Management positions, in general, require strong, clear communication skills. This is especially true for farmers market managers. They deal with a wide range of people, from the general public to farmers and employees. Patience, flexibility, and diplomacy serve this type of work well. Knowledge of farming and farming products is also especially helpful. Familiarity with software programs, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Publisher, are essential for administrative work. And fluency in another language, such as Spanish, may come in handy. Creative skills are useful in successfully advertising and promoting farmers markets. Negotiation skills are also helpful in attracting and securing vendors for the market.