Farmers Market Investigation Sustainability Fall 2015

DUE: Presentation 10/26 Written Reflection 11/2

Overview:
Working in groups of 4, you will apply what youve learned about the U.S. food system from
reading Omnivores Dilemma by conducting field research of Portlands local food system
and presenting that work to the class.
Learning Objectives:
For this assignment you will:
construct and follow a methodology.
determine findings based on that research.
analyze those findings using class readings.
present this information to the class in a clear, informative, and professional manner.
reflect on your groups process conducting the assignment and your role in that process.
STEPS:
Investigate:
Attend: As a group, visit the Portland Farmers Market held at PSU on Saturdays from 9am-2pm
(I recommend early because it gets very busy).
Interview: Speak with at least 3 of the vendors and/or shoppers. Your inquiry should be
focused. Have three or four questions prepared beforehand. You may cover any topic you
find interesting.
Taste: Each member of the group should sample three different foods at the market. They may
all be the same type of food or different. Find out and record what the ingredients are in each
thing you taste.
Compare: Visit a supermarket and find comparable food items. Write down the ingredients for
the foods you find at the supermarket. Compare and contrast the ingredients in the Farmers
Market versus the supermarket foods.
The above are minimums, get creative about how to develop the research (e.g., maybe visit a
different Farmers market on a weekday or visit different types of supermarkets).
Present:
Your group will spend seven-ten minutes reporting their findings to the class (everyone in the
group must present an equal amount of material). Include the following information:

methodology (What did you do and why did you decide to do it that way?).

findings (What did you discover about the farmers market? How did the 'equivalent'
food products compare to what your group found at the supermarket?).

analysis (Why are your findings significant, surprising, interesting, important? How do
your findings coincide or conflict with points raised by class readings?).
The expectation is that presentation will be polished (a.k.a. practiced!) and professional (e.g.,
dress like you are going to a job interview, no hats, gum, etc.).
Reflect and Write: Each group member will turn in a minimum 300 word reflection of the group
project and presentation process. A few points to consider are how well did the group work
together? Did everyone, including you, do a fair share? What grade would you give to each of
you and why? What parts of the presentation went well and what could be done to improve your
research and presentation skills? What could be done to improve your work in future groups?
You have to turn in the reflection to receive a grade for the assignment.