This week we sat down with Meghan DeCoste (Market Manager for the Antigonish Farmers Market Association), and Meghan Johnny (board member and vendor) to answer all your question about our amazing farmers market.

Highlights from the episode

* The Farmers Market Building and Operations: The Antigonish Farmers Market owns a large, state-of-the-art building (built in 2019) with 180 solar panels, a commercial kitchen used by vendors and community groups, and serves as a community hub beyond just Saturday markets. The building generates about 1/3 of its power needs through solar ($7,000 of $21,000 annual electricity costs).

* Community Kitchen and Food Access Programs: The building’s provincially-inspected commercial kitchen is used by food vendors for market meal preparation, and hosts the Community Fridge program where volunteers make 200 meals every second Sunday. These meals are distributed through community fridges at the market and library, providing free 24/7 food access to anyone in need.

* Parking Lot Challenges and Fundraising: The market faces significant parking issues with a pothole-filled lot shared between the farmers market, arena, and town. They’re actively fundraising (estimated $700,000-$1,000,000 needed) through 50/50 draws and donations to pave the parking lot, working with multiple stakeholders including the town, county, and Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

* Market Diversity and Growth: The farmers market has become increasingly diverse with vendors from Syria, Ukraine, India, Iran, and South Korea, creating cultural exchanges through food. The market is experiencing significant growth in customer numbers and is actively seeking unique vendors while managing the balance of product types.

Note: it is the Antigonish/Guysborough Federation of Agriculture that owns the land that the farmers market building is on, not the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

Here’s a rundown of the podcast episode in the form of a fancy news article:

Small Nova Scotia Farmers Market Becomes Unlikely Community Hub, Tackling Food Security and Cultural Exchange

ANTIGONISH, Nova Scotia — What began as a handful of vendors selling produce at a local park in 1993 has evolved into something far more ambitious: a solar-powered community center that combats food insecurity, nurtures new businesses, and bridges cultural divides in this small university town.

The Antigonish Farmers Market, housed in a gleaming building completed in 2019, represents a new model for rural community development, one that extends far beyond the traditional Saturday morning vegetable sales. With 180 solar panels covering its roof and a commercial kitchen that hums with activity six days a week, the market has become an unlikely nexus for social services, economic development, and cultural integration.

“When they come here, they are a bit isolated, and being able to be a part of the farmers market is just a way to get introduced to the community,” said Megan DeCoste, the market’s manager, describing how immigrants from Syria, Ukraine, India, Iran, and South Korea have found their footing by sharing their culinary traditions with local customers.

The building’s most striking feature may be its commitment to addressing food insecurity. Every second Sunday, volunteers use the commercial kitchen to prepare 200 meals, which are then distributed throughout the week via community fridges that operate 24 hours a day. The program, supported by local chefs, The Antigonish Community Fridge and Pantry (run by the Antigonish Coalition to End Poverty), and the food bank, exemplifies how the market has evolved beyond commerce into community care.

But success has brought challenges. The market’s growth—customer counts have surged in recent months—has exposed infrastructure problems, particularly a pothole-riddled parking lot shared with a neighboring hockey arena. The lot, owned by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, requires an estimated $700,000 to $1 million to pave, prompting an ambitious fundraising campaign involving multiple municipal stakeholders.

“We do customer counts every hour, and the past month has been just super packed,” said Meghan Johnny, a board member and vendor. “This is what we want—people using this space.”

The market’s economic model reflects its community focus. Vendors pay $40-50 per table to support operations. The building’s solar array covers roughly one-third of the $21,000 annual electricity bill, with plans to expand renewable capacity.

The facility also serves as an incubation hub for food entrepreneurs, offering access to the provincially-inspected kitchen that many small businesses require but cannot afford independently. Local organizations use the space free of charge, and there are discussions about establishing it as an emergency shelter, pending installation of backup power systems.

The Nova Scotia Loyal program, which distributed $10 vouchers to school children across the province, brought large numbers of new customers to the Antigonish market last year—many experiencing a farmers market for the first time.

As rural communities across North America grapple with economic decline and social isolation, the Antigonish model suggests that reimagining traditional institutions might offer a path forward. From its origins selling vegetables in Chisholm Park, this farmers market has become proof that community resilience can be built one meal, one solar panel, and one cultural exchange at a time.

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