Final report for ENE22-176
Project Information
Problem Addressed and Solution Pursued
Farmers’ markets are critical infrastructure for New England’s agricultural economy, providing essential market access for thousands of farmers and food producers while serving as entry points for new and beginning farmers. In Maine and Vermont, more than 95% of farmers’ markets are governed by vendor-led advisory boards. These farmer-organizers are responsible for budgets, bylaws, rule enforcement, and day-to-day operations, often with little formal training, limited resources, and significant unpaid labor.
As farmers’ markets grow in scale, complexity, and community visibility, interpersonal conflict among vendors, customers, staff, and boards has increased. Left unaddressed, conflict undermines vendor cooperation, market culture, and farmer retention—directly threatening market viability and farmer income. This project recognized that strong markets require intentional systems and learned skills to manage conflict constructively.
The project addressed this gap by providing professional development to farmers’ market organizers—many of whom are farmers themselves—equipping them with tailored conflict resolution strategies, market tools, and communication skills to prevent and manage conflict, strengthen governance, and improve market resilience.
Educational Approach and Products Developed
Over three consecutive winters, the project convened cohorts of 16–20 farmers’ market service providers annually from Maine and Vermont (58 total participants). Participants engaged in a structured, online Community of Practice model featuring six facilitated sessions per year across two complementary learning tracks:
- Track 1: Market Systems — rules, bylaws, roles, decision-making processes, and governance structures
- Track 2: Skills — feedback, coaching, nonviolent communication, de-escalation, and conflict navigation
Training was delivered by professional mediators, conflict educators, and experienced farmers’ market organizers. Curriculum was iterative and responsive, evolving each year based on participant feedback and real-time challenges emerging at markets.
Educational materials, case studies, and tools developed through the project are being made publicly available and incorporated into the Farmers’ Market Coalitions Resource Library, extending the project’s impact beyond direct participants.
Service Provider and Farmer Learning Outcomes
As a result of the education program, participating service providers demonstrated increased knowledge, confidence, and capacity to:
- Identify sources of conflict specific to farmers’ market environments
- Apply conflict prevention strategies through improved market systems
- Use structured communication, feedback, and coaching techniques
- Facilitate difficult conversations and de-escalate tensions
- Train and support farmer-vendors in cooperative market practices
Farmers at participating markets benefited from clearer expectations, more consistent rule enforcement, improved communication, and healthier market cultures, contributing to reduced tensions, stronger cooperation, and improved vendor and customer retention.
Service Provider Actions and Resulting Practice Changes
Service providers were required to apply their learning directly at their markets. Twenty-six participating farmers’ markets reported implementing 124 documented actions and interventions, including:
- Revisions to market rules, bylaws, and vendor agreements
- Clarification of roles and decision-making authority
- New onboarding and training processes for vendors and staff
- Improved complaint-handling and conflict response protocols
- Intentional changes to market communication and governance practices
These actions benefited more than 300 farmer vendors across Maine and Vermont. Markets reported improved organizational functioning, reduced recurring conflicts, and greater confidence among organizers and vendors in addressing challenges proactively. Collectively, these changes strengthened market stability, supported farmer livelihoods, and enhanced the long-term resilience of farmers’ markets in the region.
72 Maine and Vermont service providers (24 each year) who gain knowledge and skills in market organizing and conflict resolution will work with at least 30 farmers’ markets to ensure that 60 actions/interventions (2 per market, at least) are taken to address and reduce common instances of conflict.
This will require service providers to use their new skills in leadership, negotiation, and mediation to facilitate conversations and actions among market organizers and vendors about best practices and common challenges in conflict resolution at farmers’ markets.
Actions and interventions from service providers may include: assisting farmers in identifying and updating problematic market rules and bylaws; supporting farmers in addressing interpersonal conflicts among vendors and/or shoppers; hosting mediated conversations with outside support; and creating dispute resolution procedures for markets. We anticipate many interventions to involve the service providers leading difficult discussions to create new systems of accountability for market organizers and managers.
Farmers’ markets play a critical role in the agricultural economies of Maine and Vermont, supporting thousands of farmers and food producers while serving as a primary market access point for new and beginning farmers. More than 95% of farmers’ markets in the region are governed by vendor-led advisory boards, placing farmers and market managers—often with limited formal training and resources—in charge of governance, rule enforcement, and day-to-day operations.
Survey feedback demonstrated that conflict was a widespread and persistent challenge for farmers’ markets. A 2021 survey of 12 market organizers across New England reported an average of six conflicts per market per year with the potential to negatively impact business. Conflicts most commonly occurred between vendors, between vendors and managers, or between managers and customers. Examples included vendors violating market rules, market organizers not fulfilling governance duties, prospective vendors threatening legal action after being denied acceptance, and customer disputes related to public health policies. In Vermont, anecdotal reporting from NOFA-VT indicated that nearly 10% of farmers’ markets experienced significant conflict in a single year, in some cases resulting in vendors being banned from markets that comprised a substantial portion of their sales.
The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) was contacted at least five times annually by market managers seeking assistance with serious conflicts involving vendors, customers, or community partners. In MFFM’s 2020 strategic plan input survey, 60% of respondents identified conflict resolution as a priority, and 20 of 24 respondents expressed interest in market management training. Feedback from the Harvest New England Farmers’ Market Manager Conference showed that 90% of respondents identified conflict resolution as important and 73% expressed interest in learning more.
The project addressed this demonstrated need by delivering a multi-year, experiential professional development program for farmers’ market organizers as service providers. Over three consecutive winters, the project convened online workshop series and Communities of Practice focused on conflict resolution and prevention in farmers’ market settings. The approach combined training on market systems (rules, bylaws, roles, and processes) with skill-building in communication, feedback, coaching, and de-escalation. Participants applied their learning by implementing interventions at their markets to address existing conflicts and update governance structures and practices to better prevent future conflicts.
Cooperators
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Educational approach
The project employed a 3-year, cohort-based adult learning model designed to build both structural understanding and practical skills among farmers’ market organizers. Training was grounded in peer-learning, professional facilitation, and real-world application, with the explicit goal of equipping participants to address and prevent conflicts at farmers’ markets.
Each winter cohort (three total) participated in a structured Community of Practice (CoP) consisting of six facilitated online sessions that combined curriculum delivery with interactive discussion. These sessions were intentionally divided into two complementary focus areas:
- Systems building, which addressed market governance structures such as rules, bylaws, roles, and processes; and
- Skill building, which focused on interpersonal competencies including conflict theory, non-violent communication, feedback, negotiation, and de-escalation strategies.
Professional mediators, conflict educators, farmers’ market leaders, and sector experts led the sessions, drawing on both theory and practice. Training modalities included interactive webinars, facilitated group conversations, role-play exercises, and opportunities for reflection and peer feedback. Curriculum content was iteratively refined each year based on participant feedback and emerging sector needs.
In addition to the core CoP series, the project incorporated in-person presentations at state farmers’ market conferences, broadening engagement and reinforcing key concepts. Project organizers also developed and shared practical resources—such as checklists, role charts, and reference guides—to support participants’ work back in their markets.
To support ongoing application, participants were expected to share their learning with their home markets and participate in facilitated CoP discussions throughout and beyond the scheduled sessions. Evaluation tools—such as post-session surveys and annual feedback forms—were used to document learning outcomes, inform continuous improvement of the curriculum, and monitor implementation of practices in market settings.
Milestones
Engagement - Q1 and Q2, 2022
Milestone: Awareness of the project is shared across VT and Maine via existing listservs, direct emails, and newsletters (Extension, statewide market channels).
Project Team Involved: MFFM/NOFA-VT/FMC/Project Advisory Committee
Completion date: 5/31/2022
Expected changes resulting from activity:
Entities that support direct-to-consumer in the states are made aware of the project and the potential for being involved. 300 service providers learn about Ag Mediation and the role of their state and national associations to provide dynamic, contextual support and training.
Status: Complete
Accomplishments: MFFM and NOFA-VT shared news of the training series widely among our networks, e-newsletters, and direct market contacts. This recruiting document was shared in Maine & Vermont: 2022 Recruitment Message for MFFM (2)
Engagement and Learning -Q2: 2022, 2023, 2024
Milestone: 24 service providers accept the invitation as participants, share baseline data, and participate in introductory webinar for project orientation.
Project Team Involved: FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Ag Mediation
Completion Date: 5/15 of each year: 2022, 2023, 2024
Expected changes resulting from activity: The annual cohort builds trust and agreements on implementation. Agreements are signed by each participant which helps secure their commitment to the project. Data on the level of knowledge and comfort among markets is shared with project team in each year’s cohort.
Status: Complete
Accomplishments:
In 2022 - 20 farmers' market operators enrolled in the 2022-23 inaugural cohort. The participants have joined in pairs, with at least 2 people joining from a market. An intake form was developed to capture baseline information on their market organization. PDF of intake form: Official 1st Cohort Participants - intake form - Google Forms
In 2023 - 18 farmers' market operators enrolled in the 2023-2024 cohort. The participants have joined in pairs, with at least 2 people joining from a market. An intake form was developed to capture baseline information on their market organization
In 2024 - 20 farmers' market operators enrolled in the 2024-2025 cohort.
Learning - Q2 and Q3 of 2022
Milestone: Initial Project Curriculum and Lesson Plans are Completed
Activities: Draft curriculum and instructor guide is developed, refined, and reviewed drawing from participant input, advisory committee feedback, and from existing conflict materials in use by Ag Mediation, FMC, MFFM, NOFA-VT, and those collected through project literature review. Zoom lecture-style presentations, step-by-step written PDFs on de-escalation strategies, facilitated discussions, and role-playing will be the main delivery mechanisms for the training.
Project Team Involved: FMC/Ag Mediation/ Karen & Leah/ Advisory Committee/ MFFM/ NOFA-VT
Completion Date: 9/30/2022
Expected changes resulting from activity: Project team has fully established curriculum and lesson plans for the first cohort.
Status: Completed
Accomplishments: The education team is taking a more gradual approach with initial curriculum development. We continue to meet regularly after each Community of Practice (CoP) call to refine our next CoP based on participant feedback and emerging issues and ideas. New resources have been created and/or are in development. A new resource that we generated and are finding useful is a document highlighting power dynamics at farmers' markets: Power Dynamics (4)
Another resources we created is a Market Day Roles Chart to help market organizations delegate Market Day responsibilities in a transparent manner: Market Day Roles Chart - Sheet1
*(2024 update) The initial project curriculum and lesson plans were completed for the first year cohort. For the 2nd year cohort, with a new educator on our team and input received from 1st year participants, we are constantly editing and refining our approach to each Community of Practice call.
(2025 update) We kept our previous year's curriculum & lesson plan format for the 2024-2025 season with only minor revisions.
Learning and Engagement - Q2 of 2022, 2023, and 2024
Milestone: Community of Practice (CoP) is established for each year’s cohort during training (24 service providers). Email listserv and standing online Zoom meetings are established.
Project Team Involved: FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Project Advisory Committee
Completion Date: 5/31 of each year: 2022,2023, 2024
Expected changes resulting from activity: 72 service providers gain a focused networking and peer-to-peer opportunity to continue after the project ends. The CoP serves as the platform to ensure that service providers implement these practices with their farmers once training is completed.
Status: Completed
Accomplishments: We've established a google group email listserv for our first cohort. Zoom meetings are currently facilitated with instructional content by education team through February of 2023 for the first cohort. After February, there will be optional standing Zoom CoP meetings scheduled on a monthly basis for this cohort to continue networking and supporting one another in navigating conflicts at their markets.
Learning - November through February of each year, starting in 2022
Milestone: Training for 24 service providers via Zoom, in person, and at state farmers’ market conferences.
Project Team Involved: Ag Mediation/FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Project Advisory Team
Completion Date: 2/28 of each year: 2023, 2024, 2025
Expected changes resulting from activity:
72 service providers each take 3 to 5 courses focusing on customer, vendor, and management conflicts and gain skills, knowledge, awareness, and new attitudes to address and prevent conflicts at farmers’ markets.
Status: Completed
Accomplishments:
2023 update: As of 1/16/2023, we have conducted 3 "courses" (what we now just refer to as "Community of Practice" calls). We have 3 more already scheduled through February 2023. 18 participants have been fully attending each session and completing homework assignments between them. Our educational program strategy is divided into 2 focus areas, with 3 CoP calls in each. One area focuses on individual skill development for overcoming conflicts. The 2nd area focuses on examining and improving market structures to better handle, prevent, and process conflicts when they arise. Thus, we're focusing on the individual and the system (the markets). After each session, we encourage participants to fill out a feedback form to inform and improve the curriculum we're designing. We have yet to capture any data on changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and/or awareness or actions taken by participants, since we're only half way through our learning journey with them. Many resources are in development, including slides and 1-page handouts, and a concept map for understanding conflict at farmers' markets with links to resources and best practices for addressing them. They are not complete yet.
2024 update:
Our year 1 cohort wrapped up in February 2023. Our year 2 cohort is 3/6 of the way through their sessions. The trainings continue to be exclusively on ZOOM for our cohort. However in-person sessions, open to a broader audience, are planned for this February and March at the Maine & Vermont Farmers' Market Conferences. We are following a similar approach as last year, where we have 2 focus areas: "systems building" and "skill building".
2025 update:
Our year 2 cohort wrapped up in March of 2024 with 6 online Zoom Community of Practice (CoP) calls for all participants. In February and March of 2024, we also hosted in-person forums at both the Maine & Vermont Farmers' Market Conferences to discuss the project and our learnings. Our year 3 cohort launched in November 2024 and concluded 6 Community of Practice calls on 2/28/2025, thus finishing our formal/pre-planned CoP calls for this training series.
Learning and Evaluation - January to February of each year, starting in 2023
Milestone: Service providers (24 each year) work with project team and Community of Practice to design and produce their own custom strategy to share with market farmers (70 each year) on conflict resolution and de-escalation skills, improved strategies, and market updates that will lead to addressing and preventing conflicts.
Project Team Involved: FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Project Advisory Team
Completion Date: 2/28 of each year: 2023, 2024, 2025
Expected changes resulting from activity: Strategies and resources are implemented in a wide variety of markets and among direct-to-consumer farming businesses in both states. Conflicts are reduced or mitigated during market days.
Status: Completed
Accomplishments:
2023 update: The 3 CoP calls we've organized so far are the foundation for our service provider participants to accomplish this milestone.
2024 update: Cohort 1 completed the course. 9 of 10 markets have engaged in strategies to support their markets in addressing and preventing conflicts. More results are shared below.
2025 update: Cohort's 2 & 3 have completed the course. Among the 2 cohorts combined, 17 markets report engaging in strategies to support their markets in addressing and preventing conflicts. More results are shared below.
Evaluation - April of each year, starting in 2023
Milestone: Service providers (24 each year) gathered feedback from market farmers on their use of the project materials and behavior change. Data is gathered from all service providers.
Project Team Involved: FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Project Advisory Team
Completion Date: 4/30 of each year: 2023, 2024, 2025
Expected changes resulting from activity: Service providers learn of their impact at the market. Project is evaluated and data used for final report and dissemination to other state’s market leaders.
Status: Completed
2024 update: Cohort 1 completed the course. All markets that are reporting (9 out of 10, we are seeking info from the last market) have shared positive outcomes from our training.
The evaluation captured 34 instances of positive outcomes, including updating rules and by-laws, adding new market protocols, updating membership types, adopting procedures for resolving conflicts, direct market organizer interventions (taking direct action on unresolved issues among people), communication systems improvements, and updating role descriptions.
2025 update: Cohort's 2 & 3 have completed the course. All markets that have filled out the evaluation form thus far are sharing positive outcomes from our training.
The evaluation captured 90 instances of actions or interventions taken at these markets. There were 16 instances of positive outcomes and 4 expected positive outcomes reported.
A breakdown of intervention by category is below:
| Action/Intervention Category | # reported |
| rules changed | 19 |
| new market protocols | 17 |
| improved market culture (more involvementnew peopleand role clarifications. | 14 |
| by-laws changed | 8 |
| management interventions (taking direct actions they had not taken before) | 12 |
| website/communications improvements | 11 |
| role clarifications | 9 |
Learning - October 2024 to March 2025
Milestone: Toolkit document is drafted and completed. This resource is one of the outputs of this project. It includes case-studies, highlights, templates and reference documents helpful for market organizers and service providers to model a similar training in other places.
Project Team Involved: MFFM/FMC/NOFA-VT/Ag Mediation/ Advisory Team
Completion Date: November 30, 2025
Expected changes: Toolkit is a resource for markets across the country to reference and use in improving their capacity for conflict management. Using this tool, markets across Maine, Vermont and the US will experience less conflict and its adverse effects on farm businesses.
Status: Completed
September 2024 to April 2025
Milestone: Dissemination of materials and teacher’s guide to other state leaders and support staff beyond farmers’ markets in NE through presentations at regional conferences and on webinars (goal of 30).
Project Team Involved: FMC/MFFM/NOFA-VT/Project Advisory Team
Completion Date: November 30, 2025
Expected changes resulting from activity: Project is shared with other food system sectors, Resources and approach are used by other direct marketing channel leaders (CSA networks, agritourism). More food system leaders and farmers gain knowledge on these resources and strategies.
Status: Complete
2025 Annual Report Update: We have given presentations at the 2024 Maine & Vermont Farmers' Market Conferences. Materials & Toolkit are still in development.
The project toolkit will be hosted on the Farmers' Market Coalition Resource Library.
Milestone activities and participation summary
Educational activities and events conducted by the project team:
Participants in the project’s educational activities:
Learning Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
72
will work with at least 30 farmers’ markets to ensure that 60 actions/interventions (2 per market, at least) are taken to address and reduce common instances of conflict.
59
26
300
- 124 Farmers' market meetings and support activities that led to the following:
Market rule changes: 25
New Market Protocols: 23
Market By-law changes: 13
Market Membership Definition Updates: 3
Conflict Procedures Adopted: 2
Direct interventions among market members or stakeholders in conflict: 16
Communication systems improvements (website updates, new approaches to sharing information): 15
Market role updates & clarification: 13
Improved Market Culture (more involvement, new people, and role clarifications) 14
Service Provider and Farmer Learning Outcomes
As a result of the education program, participating service providers demonstrated increased knowledge, confidence, and capacity to:
- Identify sources of conflict specific to farmers’ market environments
- Apply conflict prevention strategies through improved market systems
- Use structured communication, feedback, and coaching techniques
- Facilitate difficult conversations and de-escalate tensions
- Train and support farmer-vendors in cooperative market practices
Farmers at participating markets benefited from clearer expectations, more consistent rule enforcement, improved communication, and healthier market cultures, contributing to reduced tensions, stronger cooperation, and improved vendor and customer retention.
Service Provider Actions and Resulting Practice Changes
Service providers were required to apply their learning directly at their markets. Twenty-six participating farmers’ markets reported implementing 124 documented actions and interventions, including:
- Revisions to market rules, bylaws, and vendor agreements
- Clarification of roles and decision-making authority
- New onboarding and training processes for vendors and staff
- Improved complaint-handling and conflict response protocols
- Intentional changes to market communication and governance practices
These actions benefited more than 300 farmer vendors across Maine and Vermont. Markets reported improved organizational functioning, reduced recurring conflicts, and greater confidence among organizers and vendors in addressing challenges proactively. Collectively, these changes strengthened market stability, supported farmer livelihoods, and enhanced the long-term resilience of farmers’ markets in the region.
Performance Target Outcomes - Farmers
Additional Project Outcomes
MFFM is currently working with 4 new markets to support conflict prevention and resolution work.
MFFM, NOFA-VT, Farmers Market Coalition, and our mediation partners are all much more equipped as service providers to work directly with markets in helping them troubleshoot conflicts. This exercise has boosted our confidence and abilities. The community we have built from participating markets and service providers will be an amazing support system for the greater market community as they navigate similar, and new, challenges in the years ahead.
Restoring a Safe and Welcoming Market Environment (New England, market management team)
A farmers’ market management team applied conflict management principles and governance tools to address repeated incidents of verbal aggression by a long-time vendor toward customers, vendors, and market staff. After months of disruption that caused vendors to avoid one another, customers to stop attending, and market managers to consider resigning, the market relied on its code of conduct and bylaws—reinforced with guidance from service providers—to remove the vendor from the market. Following this action, the market adopted clearer bylaw language prohibiting hostile behavior by vendors and committed to annual review of conduct policies, resulting in restored customer attendance, increased vendor participation, and a return to a positive and safe market environment.
Addressing Long-Standing Rule Violations to Restore Market Integrity
A farmers’ market service provider applied conflict resolution and governance training from the project to address a decades-long rule violation by a long-standing vendor who sold products they did not produce. With support from the training, the organizer became more involved in market leadership, engaged outside mediation, and relied on clarified bylaws and committee roles to enforce market rules consistently. Although the process was difficult, the vendor was ultimately removed for noncompliance, resulting in improved market morale, renewed participation in market governance, and rewritten bylaws that now prevent similar conflicts and support fair competition for farmers.
Strengthening Market Governance to Prevent Conflict (Maine, market organizer)
A farmers’ market organizer in Maine used the training to lead a full revision of their market’s rules and bylaws, addressing long-standing gaps that had previously caused conflict among vendors and the board. The updated documents clarified attendance requirements, decision-making authority, and enforcement processes before the vendor application period opened. As a result, the organizer reported increased confidence in addressing disputes and greater vendor buy-in, with vendors referencing the updated rules during the application process.
Creating Rules Where None Existed (Vermont, market manager)
A market manager in Vermont participated in the cohort while launching a newer farmers’ market that previously had no formal rules or bylaws. With guidance from trainers and peer organizers, the market developed its first set of governance documents, including rules designed to address a recent conflict that had threatened vendor relationships. The manager reported that having clear, written policies created a sense of support and legitimacy when navigating difficult conversations and helped prevent similar conflicts from reoccurring.
Reducing Vendor No-Shows Through Policy Changes (Maine, market service provider)
A market service provider updated market policies to clarify enforcement authority and introduced a new fine structure for vendors who failed to show up without notice. This change directly addressed a recurring issue that disrupted market operations and caused tension among vendors. Following the policy update, the organizer reported that the chronic no-show problem was effectively eliminated.
Clarifying Roles to Improve Conflict Response (New England, market co-managers)
Two co-managers of a farmers’ market used lessons from the Community of Practice to clearly define their roles and responsibilities after previously handling conflicts reactively. One manager assumed responsibility for vendor relationships while the other focused on customer concerns, with both committing to support one another during difficult situations. As they prepared for the next season, both reported increased confidence in managing conflict and a shared framework for addressing issues proactively rather than in crisis mode.
Online training for this type of work is challenging. 2 hours in a virtual meeting can exhaust people and test their attention spans. However - we wouldn't have been able to attract so many participants, and the community that is cultivated statewide and across states would not have been possible, without the online Zoom format.
There were fundamental differences between certain market organizations that definitely made it harder to draft curriculum and resources that fit the needs of all parties. Some markets have a hired manager, some don't. Some markets have "board members" who are not vendors at the market, most markets are completely governed and managed by the vendors who sell there.