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Developing viable farmers markets in rural communities: An investigation of vendor performance using objective and subjective valuations

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  • Schmit, T.M.
  • Gómez, M.I.

Abstract

Farmers markets are drawing increasing attention by consumers as a local source of fresh foods; by producers as an alternative marketing opportunity to improve farm sales; and by policy makers concerned about the limited availability of affordable, nutritious foods in low-income, sparsely-populated rural areas. Using unique data collected from customers, vendors, and markets in a rural region of New York State, we develop an empirical model of subjective and objective measures of vendor performance to identify important factors for improved market sustainability. The empirical results suggest four inter-related planning recommendations when considering market and public policy interventions: (1) establishing larger, centrally located markets with public sector contributions, (2) targeting variety in products and vendors, (3) prioritizing attention to marketing and promotion, and (4) reducing cost burdens to underserved, low-income residents. As rural areas are spatially unique, future research across a variety of rural communities and regions will be important to the further development of sound initiatives aimed at improving market performance and access to healthy foods.

Suggested Citation

  • Schmit, T.M. & Gómez, M.I., 2011. "Developing viable farmers markets in rural communities: An investigation of vendor performance using objective and subjective valuations," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 119-127, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:2:p:119-127
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    2. Rahe, Mallory L. & Tsay, Juo-Han & Low, Sarah A., 2023. "Vendor persistence and sales growth 2019-2021: Evidence from five rural Oregon farmers markets," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 336002, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Tiziano Tempesta & Daniel Vecchiato & Federico Nassivera & Maria Bugatti & Biancamaria Torquati, 2019. "Consumers Demand for Social Farming Products: An Analysis with Discrete Choice Experiments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Jeffrey K. O'Hara & Nony Dutton & Nick Stavely, 2022. "The influence of farmers markets' characteristics on vendor sales," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(2), pages 295-311, April.
    5. Connolly, Cristina & Klaiber, H. Allen, 2019. "Competition in Local Food Markets," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 44(2), May.
    6. Dru Montri & Kimberly Chung & Bridget Behe, 2021. "Farmer perspectives on farmers markets in low-income urban areas: a case study in three Michigan cities," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(1), pages 1-14, February.
    7. Schmit, Todd M. & Jablonski, Becca B.R. & Bonanno, Alessandro & Johnson, Thomas G., 2021. "Measuring stocks of community wealth and their association with food systems efforts in rural and urban places," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    8. Kamila Vesela & Lucie Severova & David Krizek, 2021. "Nutritional Values of Foods on a Population of the Czech Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-13, July.
    9. Ladislav Pilař & Lucie Kvasničková Stanislavská & Pavel Moulis & Roman Kvasnička & Stanislav Rojík & Ivana Tichá, 2019. "Who spends the most money at farmers' markets?," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(11), pages 491-498.
    10. Kyung-Hee Kim & Duk-Byeong Park, 2014. "Factors Influencing Rural Tourists' Purchasing Behaviour: Four Types of Direct Farm Markets in South Korea," Tourism Economics, , vol. 20(3), pages 629-645, June.
    11. Katia A. Figueroa-Rodríguez & María del Carmen Álvarez-Ávila & Fabiola Hernández Castillo & Rita Schwentesius Rindermann & Benjamín Figueroa-Sandoval, 2019. "Farmers’ Market Actors, Dynamics, and Attributes: A Bibliometric Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, January.
    12. Oscar Meza Palma & José M. Díaz-Puente & José L. Yagüe, 2020. "The Role of Coffee Organizations as Agents of Rural Governance: Evidence from Western Honduras," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-17, November.
    13. Schmit, Todd M. & Hadcock, Stephen E., 2010. "Assessing barriers to expansion of farm-to-chef sales: a case study from upstate New York," Working Papers 126973, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    14. Jeffrey K. O'Hara & Jeffrey Lin, 2020. "Population Density and Local Food Market Channels," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(3), pages 477-496, September.
    15. Abello, Francisco J. & Palma, Marco A. & Anderson, David P. & Waller, Mark W., 2012. "Evaluating the Factors Influecing the Number of Visits to Farmers' Markets," 2012 Annual Meeting, February 4-7, 2012, Birmingham, Alabama 119786, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    16. Jeremy L. Sage & Vicki A. McCracken, 2017. "Mitigating food deserts: Do farmers’ markets break from the status quo?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 39-59, March.

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