The Athens Farmers Market exists to foster a dynamic economic and educational connection between community members, farmers, and artisans by providing a marketplace for food grown locally using sustainable farming methods and for locally produced hand crafted goods and prepared foods. AFM believes that sustainable agriculture is increasingly essential to providing healthy, affordable food to the community. Local and sustainable agriculture reduces the consumption of fossil fuels, provides foods free from harmful chemicals, produces foods high in nutritional value, and results in economic activity focused on the local economy. Further objectives of the AFM mission include education about and support of local sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is a commitment to both growing and distributing food to meet the needs of current and future generations in a manner that is environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially just. AFM is committed to making economic and educational connections between urban dwellers and sustainable farmers, by providing a market place of food grown locally using sustainable farming methods. Adjunct to this commitment is to make that market place appealing to the consumers and to provide a place for local artisans, crafts persons, and purveyors of prepared food to sell high quality
products. For the general benefit to the community and to not-for-profit organizations, space for such organizations selected by the Board of Directors will be provided in order to educate the public about those organizations and/or their causes and for fund-raising, when explicitly permitted by the Board of
Directors. AFM management and its designated agents will implement and enforce all rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of AFM market in a fair and equitable manner as described in these Articles and Bylaws and in the separate Operating Policies.
