Cultivating connections: a comparison of food producer and consumer values and implications for the viability of local food networks
Courtney Quinn (),
Karen Allen,
John Quinn,
Ashley Razo,
Sydney Andersen and
Holly Brown
Additional contact information
Courtney Quinn: Furman University
Karen Allen: Furman University
John Quinn: Furman University
Ashley Razo: Furman University
Sydney Andersen: Furman University
Holly Brown: Furman University
Agriculture and Human Values, 2025, vol. 42, issue 3, No 58, 2233-2246
Abstract:
Abstract Local food purchasing options have expanded significantly in the United States, yet their viability remains closely tied to social interactions between producers and consumers. This study investigated the alignment of sustainability values between small-scale food producers and consumers and focused on the social, ecological, and economic implications within South Carolina’s local food networks. Using a mixed methods design, we integrated semi-structured interviews with 24 small-scale food producers, a survey of 160 existing local food customers, and a stated choice experiment that targeted the broader consumer base. Our findings revealed that producers highly valued financial sustainability, biodiversity, and holistic farm management but perceived a gap between their practices and consumer understanding or willingness to support them economically. While consumers showed a willingness to pay for sustainable attributes like animal welfare and reduced pesticide use, this did not always align with the higher costs of local sustainable practices. This misalignment poses challenges to the economic viability of local food systems.
Keywords: Local food systems; Consumer values; Producer values; Economic viability; Mixed methods; Qualitative (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-025-10749-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:42:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-025-10749-6
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10460
DOI: 10.1007/s10460-025-10749-6
Access Statistics for this article
Agriculture and Human Values is currently edited by Harvey S. James Jr.
More articles in Agriculture and Human Values from Springer, The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().