The Union Square and Davis Square farmers markets are operating once again, this year with guidelines to help protect shoppers from COVID-19 exposure. — Photo courtesy of Union Square Farmers Market

By Isabel Sami

On a normal Saturday, the Union Square farmers market has about 50 vendors. On Saturday, May 30, it had about 25. Strict guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced new protocols to be put in place for open-air farmers markets nationwide, and in Somerville the market organizers are being as cautious as ever to keep residents safe. Both the Union Square and Davis Square markets had to adapt before re-opening.

Jessica Eshleman, executive director of Union Square Main Streets, has seen two seasons of farmers markets in the square. This year she says the market’s focus is shifting from friendly gathering to friendly safety. Eshleman describes the market as “the community’s living room” with vibrant energy that fills the square on Saturdays and invites residents and shoppers to linger and enjoy the setting.

But this year, the global coronavirus pandemic created obstacles for open markets that are usually flooded with people. After Governor Charlie Baker announced farmers markets were essential services on March 23, farmers market organizers nationwide got to work preparing safer settings for shoppers and vendors.

To prevent unsafe conditions, Union Square Main Streets coordinated with the City of Somerville, the Massachusetts Dept. of Agricultural Resources, the National Farmers Market Coalition, and Somerville’s Public Space and Urban Forestry Division.

Changes in the Union Square market’s setup include a 50 percent decrease in vendors to create more space for social distancing and space between booths. The market is confined to the parking lot so organizers can monitor the number of people inside, ensuring crowds do not form. Organizers also establish COVID-prepared vendor booths, with no-contact selling where customers point out what they want and vendors get their groceries without customers touching the produce.

On the USMS website there are links for customers to reserve shopping slots at specific times, and customers can pre-order groceries and pick them up from the market without having to go from booth to booth. These measures decrease the number of people inside the market, and also let farmers sell to more their customers. Organizers ask that only one representative per household go to the market, and also ask that shoppers wear masks, keep their distance, and take the online shopper’s pledge.

“This is the time when we need our immune system strong,” says Eshleman. “And this is also the time when not everyone is feeling comfortable or confident shopping in an indoor, enclosed setting like grocery stores or other markets, so for us to be able to provide this open-air commerce opportunity was really important.”

Eshleman believes that accessing fresh, healthy food is an important need in the community, and also wants to bring support to the small independent vendors who sell in the market, saying, “The Union Square farmers market has always provided a really important marketplace for those entrepreneurs to be able to test products, connect with customers, and grow their visibility, and certainly in a time when COVID has just wreaked economic havoc on small businesses.”

The Union Square farmers market is also offering SNAP matches of up to $50 for eligible customers. Since 2005, USMS has privately funded and provided SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) matches of up to $10. Now, due to economic conditions and unemployment rates, customers who receive SNAP benefits are now eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match up to $50 per market through June 27.

USMS has been raising funds privately through its independent nonprofit, which Eshleman says has been “prioritizing an inclusive farmers market with access to healthy food and raising the dollars to make this match possible.” A grant from the Somerville Jobs Creation and Retention Trust made this funding possible through June.

The Union Square markets takes place every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. through November 21 in Union Square Plaza.

In Davis Square, on Wednesdays from noon to 6:00 p.m., the market setup has changed from its usual arrangement of booths in the square. Now there will be only one entrance and exit to the market to monitor the number of visitors inside, and it is recommended that customers pre-order from vendors and register for the market online, much like the Union Square market.

Vendor booths will be set up to follow health and safety guidelines, and all shoppers will be required to wear masks and wash their hands when entering and exiting.

For both markets in Somerville, public safety is the priority. During a time when people are forced to be distant, the return of weekly farmers markets can bring some normalcy back to the community that has been sheltering at home for so long.

“It’s exciting to do this work with the Union Square farmers market, and with COVID it’s a very significant undertaking,” Eshleman says. “But again, we recognize that this service to the community is essential in so many ways.”

For more information on the Davis Square market, visit https://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis. For the Union Square market, visit https://www.unionsquaremain.org/2020-season.