WAUKESHA – A team of faculty and students from the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha will be asking questions at the Kenosha Harbor Market Saturday, June 14. They began their research May 10 at the Waukesha Farmers’ Market and moved on to Kenosha, surveying shoppers, vendors, and neighboring businesses to learn just how much impact this more casual form of commerce has on local economic health.

Led by Kathleen Bubinas, an assistant professor of anthropology and a resident of Kenosha, a cadre of seven students are asking shoppers about their reasons for coming to the market, the distance they’ve traveled, the frequency they shop there, and their impressions. Gathering of information will continue at both sites through summer.

Then, with the help of Joe Essuman, a UW-Waukesha economics professor, the data will be compiled and trends evaluated.

The project, Feeding the Downtown: A Study of the Economic Effects of Farmers’ Markets on Local Economies in Wisconsin, aims to assess the impact of farmers’ markets on local business districts and communities and identify the value of future development activities in the downtown areas. The Waukesha Business Improvement District (BID) (Waukesha Farmers’ Market) and Kenosha Common Markets, Inc. (Kenosha Harbor Market) are cooperating with them and allowing the students to operate from their booths.

Students Pablo Navarro, Jake Thuilliez, Dustin Trampe, Maria Sabljak, Matthew Kent, Jason Gorman and Cate Wright are participating in the project.

UW-Extension personnel helped create the survey instrument and continue to lend assistance. Jane Crisler, an associate professor of history at UW-Waukesha, also will help in reporting results.

With this study, the economic and social roles of farmer’s markets in local economies and communities should become clearer, and local and public agents will receive comparative data to use in making policy for the development and sustainability of local markets.

UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (888) 2UW-WAUK (888 289-9285) or visit the Web at  waukesha.uwc.edu.

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