Marketing to the foodshed: Why do farmers participate in local food systems?

The concept of embeddedness has long been central to theory about why farmers participate in local food systems. Yet few survey-based studies, and none using a representative sample of farmers who both do and do not market local food, have systematically examined the relationship of local food marketing to farmers’ sense of connection to and responsibility for larger human and ecological communities. In this paper, we address this gap in the literature by drawing on stratified, random sample survey data on 698 specialty crop growers in Michigan and Ohio. Two main findings emerge from our study. First, farmers who prioritize civic engagement and community institutions were more likely to market food through CSA, direct-to-institution and farm-to-table partnerships, and intermediaries like food hubs. Many were also earning revenue from on-farm sales, farmers markets, and mainstream sources. Results of analysis clearly show, however, that it is CSA and intermediated local supply chains that hold special appeal for, or are particularly well suited to, farmers who make farm decisions with the larger community in mind. This finding suggests that diversified, robust local food systems may provide strong support for farmers who are especially committed to making a positive impact on local politics and civic life. Second, farmers with a relatively strong sense of environmental responsibility were generally not more likely to participate in local food systems. At a minimum, this finding lends credence to skepticism that local food farmers can be considered a priori more likely to adhere to organic, biodynamic, or other sustainable farming philosophies. At the same time, farmers who express a less productivist approach to farming were more likely to market local food in nearly every way. Productivism has historically been associated with heavy reliance on external inputs to manage pests and supply nutrients. Findings about productivism arguably constitute good reason to explore further the environmental aspects of local food systems, even in the absence of a clear relationship between environmental values and marketing local food.