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Our Relationship to Food. Unpacking the Terms of Engagement with Local Food at the Farmers’ Market Paper by John Smithers, Jeremy Lemarche and Alun E. Joseph. 2007. Physics Letters, 578(3-4) Presented by Meredith Robbins, Environmental Studies & Public Policy, GEOG 370, 2/26/2008.
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Our Relationship to Food • Unpacking the Terms of Engagement with Local Food at the Farmers’ Market • Paper by John Smithers, Jeremy Lemarche and Alun E. Joseph. 2007. Physics Letters, 578(3-4) • Presented by Meredith Robbins, Environmental Studies & Public Policy, GEOG 370, 2/26/2008
Relationship of Customers to Food • Problem: Relationships between local food and markets must be understood to better evaluate how to better arrange the local food system to become more available for entities such as college campuses. How are consumer views reflected in a farmers market and how do these views translate into expectations and conditions for participation? How does location of FM affect use? • Hypothesis: The appeal of fresher foods while supporting a local economy are the main reasons farmer’s markets are successful. Location of FM not significant because customers are willing to travel for better quality food.
Methods & Data Collection:Relating customer needs to local food economies • Site: Fifteen farmers’ markets across Ontario, Canada • Determined the following for each site: population and size of market, operational data, products sold, 70 customers per market, customer interviews, mapped responses determine geographical differences • Interviews included: purchasing habits, motivation, beliefs and basis for choices concerning food at market and producers of food
Results • Customers associated buying local with “hometown feeling.” • Existence AND importance of social capital confirmed in customer responses as well as producer interviews • Freshness highly rated • Geographic location affects FM use
Conclusions • If FM were more accessible more use. 82% customers in urban areas but location of FM in rural areas • Customers wish to support farming and farmers/producers (preferably local) through the expenditure of at least some fraction of their total ‘food dollar’. • Customers believed they were creating social and economic value • Believed it enhanced prospects for local agriculture • Criticisms: • Definition of “social capital” • hard to quantitatively measure • Transportation Problems