A new weekly farmers' market will open at Royal Randwick racecourse this month, with a new, practical approach to sourcing produce. 

The organiser, Clive Burcham, is wise to the fact that if you build it, farmers won't necessarily come. The last-minute broken fence, burst water pipe or long drive to sell a few bags of fruit on a rainy day is a hurdle that farmers face every week. 

Burcham grew up on a farm, so he has taken a practical country approach at Fair Farmers Market, which kicks off on Sunday, March 19,  buying a couple of refrigerated trucks he'll send out each week to make sure produce makes it to the city.

"You can't ask a farmer to be at Royal Randwick every week. But there's an appetite for produce fresh from the farm, and by cutting out the middleman we help family farms get more for the produce they grow," Burcham says.

With food markets popping up across Sydney like parking meters – Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter is even plotting a daily market inspired by some of the great markets of the world – Burcham has tried to do things a little differently. OzHarvest will get 10 per cent from every purchase at the market, as well as live music, a petting zoo, poke bowls from chef Joel Best and pork dishes from Orazio D'elia from Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta in Bondi.

Burcham has already dipped a toe in the water in the sector with produce delivery through For Goodness Sake. He argues the time is ripe to open a market. "I grew up on a farm and went into advertising. I feel like I'm returning to my roots," he says.

The markets will run on Sundays, 8am-3pm.