Su Clinica Familiar  

Vision:
Promote policy and environmental changes that make healthy foods and active lifestyles an easy choice for all families in Brownsville.

 The mission is two-fold:
 . . . to create an event where fresh, affordable and Texas grown produce is available to local families which will improve their health and well-being while providing local farmers with an outlet to sell their produce and increase their earnings. 

Background:
The idea of starting a farmers’ market in Brownsville came from the realization that the town lacked a place where reasonably priced fresh produce was easily accessible to all. Su Clinica Familiar, a local community health care center, as well as researchers from the University of Texas School of Public Health, had been focusing on some of the community’s most pressing health care concerns. Two ailments stood above the others. The first was the high concentration of obesity, and the second was the related incidence of diabetes. From this awareness and the growing popularity of farmers’ markets in the United States, faculty from the School of Public Health and staff from the Department of State Health Services joined efforts to begin exploring the possibility of opening a farmers’ market in Brownsville. This small group began to spread the word to others within the community and in a short period of time, the farmers’ market meetings grew to include community physicians, nonprofit employees, agricultural extension offices, USDA grant recipients for farmers’ market initiatives, local church groups, writers, government staff, farmers, and other interested community members. The drive behind the farmers' market is to urge the community toward a healthier lifestyle through obesity prevention and through the access to fresh fruits and produce at reasonable prices. Su Clinica Familiar has obtained a grant from Texas Department State Health Services to help fund the program and provide vouchers and educational material to lower income families. As interest has grown, the group has organized and began a strategic plan to research the different aspects of a farmers’ market. This group of interested individuals has formed subcommittees which have been researching and combining efforts to investigate possible location sites, gauge the interest and needs of local farmers, determine consumer interest, and learn the technical and business aspects involved in creating a successful market. For more information see our history (PDF, 35 KB) and an article about us in the Brownsville Herald!

File Viewing Information