On Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the UDC College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) holds a farmers' market on the plaza outside the Student Services Building near the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness Street.
Dr. Gloria S. Wyche-Moore, the founding dean of CAUSES, says the farmers' market advances the college's mission of integrating academics with outreach.
UDC partners with the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association to identify vendors for the market. Currently, seven Hispanic farmers from Virginia sell their produce at the market.
"This is very important for the small farmers. They put forth a lot of labor and effort, but [the farmers' market] is directly beneficial. It takes out the broker," says Rudy Arredondo, President and CEO of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association.
Both Dr. Wyche-Moore and Mr. Arredondo thank the community for their support to date, and encourage neighborhood residents to turnout in the coming weeks, as the market will conclude its season in November.
Tamara Duggleby, a resident of the Van Ness area since 1996, is an enthusiastic patron of the market.
"I have loved this neighborhood. With this market, it becomes more of a neighborhood," Ms. Duggleby says, "and those of us who buy and cook fresh, come to this market. You can find a nice selection of good produce, a lot of variety. You'd be hard pressed to find waxed beans and the range of peppers you find at this market at the grocers. We've been telling our friends in Dupont to come here."
If you are a vendor looking to participate in the market, please contact Percy Williams or Rosalind Parker at (202) 255 - 3630.
I didn't realize that they partnered with the Latino Farmer's Association!
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