Davis Farmers Market Alliance

Davis Farmers Market along with Davis Farm to School Celebrate!

For 50 years, Davis Farmers Market has been more than just a place to shop; it has been a community gathering space where relationships flourish, stories are shared, and fresh, local food is at the heart of everything. Rooted in the values of sustainability, health, and local agriculture, the market has become a beloved tradition for families, students, and visitors alike.

Each week, over 90 market sellers bring their goods to Davis, offering everything from farm-fresh produce, eggs, and meat to handmade goods. But the market is not just about food — it’s about fostering a sense of connection and home. Whether you're picking up your weekly groceries, enjoying the live music at Picnic in the Park, or running into friends and neighbors, the market reflects the warmth and spirit of our town.

We invite you to be part of this ongoing story by supporting 50 more years of Davis Farmers Market and Davis Farm to School! Your gift will allow us to continue supporting the cost of operating this beloved community landmark for years to come and ensures that the this Market will remain a space where everyone can gather, laugh, learn, and grow together for at least the next 50 years!

Davis Farm to School

In the early 2000s a dedicated group within the Davis Farmers Market sphere saw a powerful opportunity to not only nourish the community at the market but also bring the love of local food to students. 

Davis Farm to School program was established as a garden education program where students learn, eat, and grow- both in the garden and in their understanding of community.Through hands-on garden education, students see how growing food connects to health, local farmers, and the broader community. They experience leadership, collaboration, and real-world impact as they see that gardening and growing their own food comes full circle at the farmers market. 

These relationships between Davis Schools, garden coordinators, the District, farmers, and the Market—are built on leadership, coordination, and consistency, and they show what is possible when a community works together. 

In celebration of 50 years we see another opportunity to strengthen and expand this work. We ask for your help to reinstitute key programs loved by the community like Tour de Cluck, expanding garden education and curriculum, farm field trips, and bringing local farm produce back into school lunches, while building a solid foundation for the future. With dedicated support, we can invest in a focused program coordinator to teach, develop, and advance the program, ensuring clear communication and consistency across the garden network.

Our long-term vision includes a Mobile Garden Truck that brings food demonstrations, garden-grown produce, and farm-fresh items directly into the community—making learning and connection visible and accessible. Davis Farm to School is about students thriving, communities connecting, and local food systems growing stronger. 

Areas where your donation can make an Impact

 Revitalizing program areas like:

School Gardens

Davis Farm to School supports school garden programs in Davis through monthly meetings for garden coordinators at all schools, lesson content, videos and a competitive grant program.

Give and Grow

Local volunteers, farmers, and businesses donate vegetable starts to Davis Farm to School for distribution to Davis schools and families. Davis Farm to School provides instructional videos on how to plant, harvest, and prepare the vegetables. Students use a plant observation journal to record the growth of their plant.

Farm Fresh Lunches

Davis Farm to School works in partnership with the DJUSD Student Nutrition Services to support their efforts to increase quantities of local fruits and vegetables in school meals and to provide nutrition education to all students. DJUSD has salad bars at every site that serves hot lunch. The salad bars include “crunch mix” salad greens, local and seasonal fruits and vegetables, and made-from-scratch whole-grain salads. School meals also include delicious made-from-scratch hot lunch entrees. Give school lunch a try! Go to the Student Nutrition Services link above to view menus.  

Farm Visits

Each year, Davis Farm to School sponsors local farm visits for 2nd graders.  Students gain a deeper understanding of the link between the environment, farming and where their food comes from by meeting farmers, participating in farm activities and tasting a farm-fresh snack.  The farm visits support grade-level content standards in history, language arts and science. 

Little Chefs

Davis Farm to School and the Davis Food Co-Op partner to provide tours of the Co-Op grocery store and cooking lessons in the Co-Op teaching kitchen. This field trip is available to 3rd grade classes within DJUSD.

Mobile Garden Truck

Tour de Cluck

A self-led bicycle tour of community backyard chicken coops

For more information: https://www.davisfarmersmarket.org/25-years-in-davis-schools/