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Land access for direct market food farmers in Oregon, USA

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  • Horst, Megan
  • Gwin, Lauren

Abstract

This article examines the challenges direct market farmers face related to land access in the United States. The number of farms participating in direct market sales is growing in the U.S., though their relative number and share of the food economy is low. The benefits of direct market farms range from fresh, high quality food for urban residents and a stronger local food economy, to potentially greater environmental stewardship and enhanced community food security. However, direct market farmers face significant land access challenges related to affordability, appropriateness, availability, and security. We explore the challenge of land access through the experiences of direct market farmers in the north Willamette Valley region in Oregon. The region has a robust agricultural economy, a growing number of direct market farms, and a history of relatively strong farmland conservation influenced by statewide land use planning requirements. We collected data with a mix of methods, including a survey of direct market farmers; interviews and group discussions with farmers and other key informants; and secondary land use and parcel data. Despite Oregon’s reputation as an agriculture-friendly state with strong consumer interest in local food systems, direct market farmers in the region experience land access challenges, including rising land prices relative to their incomes, a lack of appropriate land, a declining agricultural land base with competition from other buyers, and insecure leasing terms. These challenges suggest an uncertain future for direct market farming and its associated benefits. The article concludes by identifying potential strategies to enhance land access by direct market farmers, and suggesting areas for future research.

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  • Horst, Megan & Gwin, Lauren, 2018. "Land access for direct market food farmers in Oregon, USA," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 594-611.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:75:y:2018:i:c:p:594-611
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.01.018
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    4. Coline Perrin & Adrien Baysse-Lainé, 2020. "Governing the coexistence of agricultural models: French cities allocating farmlands to support agroecology and short food chains on urban fringes," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 101(2), pages 261-286, December.
    5. Lombard, Pascal & Baysse-Laine, Adrien, 2019. "Terre de Liens, un levier foncier militant au service d’un projet politique pour l’agriculture," Économie rurale, French Society of Rural Economics (SFER Société Française d'Economie Rurale), vol. 369(July-Sept).
    6. Manganelli, Alessandra & Moulaert, Frank, 2019. "Scaling out access to land for urban agriculture. Governance hybridities in the Brussels-Capital Region," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 391-400.
    7. H. Holly Wang & Yu Jiang & Shaosheng Jin & Qiujie Zheng, 2022. "New online market connecting Chinese consumers and small farms to improve food safety and environment," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 70(4), pages 305-324, December.
    8. Kerstin Schreiber & Bernard Soubry & Carley Dove-McFalls & Graham K. MacDonald, 2023. "Untangling the role of social relationships for overcoming challenges in local food systems: a case study of farmers in Québec, Canada," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 141-156, March.
    9. Coline Perrin & Adrien Baysse-Lainé, 2020. "Governing the coexistence of agricultural models: French cities allocating farmlands to support agroecology and short food chains on urban fringes," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 101(2-3), pages 261-286.
    10. Felix Haifeng Liao & Brendan Gordon & Colette DePhelps & Darin Saul & Chao Fan & Wenlong Feng, 2019. "A Land-Based and Spatial Assessment of Local Food Capacity in Northern Idaho, USA," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-13, August.
    11. Perrin, Coline & Baysse-Lainé, Adrien, 2020. "Governing the coexistence of agricultural models: French cities allocating farmlands to support agroecology and short food chains on urban fringes," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 101(2-3), May.
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