Farmers Markets Are Inefficient

That's a reality recognized in this post at Ethicurean.  Adam Smith recognized the virtues of specialization, but farmers' markets make the farmer be good at both growing and selling.  A farmer who has to spend much of the summer standing in a stall at a market is prevented from growing as much as she can.  Granted some select farmers can attract enthusiastic interns who can fill in, but it's not a formula that works for growing that sector of the agricultural economy.