A decade ago, Thomas Lyson coined the term civic agriculture to describe how food production and distribution can be embedded in communities through citizen participation (2000). The majority of literature that followed tended to frame civic agriculture as a wholly contemporary phenomenon, most pronounced by the increasing number of farmers markets in the United States since the 1970s. Farmers markets and community gardens existing prior to this resurgence are portrayed as either historical remnants that lost their importance during the rise of supermarkets in the 1920s or simply sources of reasonably priced food in times of economic crisis. The results of this local inquiry in Grand Rapids, Michigan suggest that this may be oversimplification. The farmers markets in Grand Rapids were established while the number of grocery stores was increasing. Additionally, community gardens in Grand Rapids were not specifically cultivated for reasonably priced food, but to educate residents about agriculture and food production while beautifying the city. These developments in Grand Rapids can be considered an example of civic food systems, which is a more nuanced concept of civic agriculture that puts as much emphasis on urban populations as rural. This study analyzes historical data using a civic food systems model with a focus on public work and civic markets. It is found that the action of citizens in Grand Rapids exemplified public work in their pursuit to solve community food issues, and the results thereof, at least in respect to farmers markets, created a more civic food system.
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