Abstract
Survey responses of producers and institutional buyers in northeastern Kansas (United States) were analyzed to understand barriers and opportunities for sustainable food systems in the region where their emergence has been limited. Producers and buyers identified barriers previously noted regarding mismatches of available quantities and prices. Producers’ enthusiasm to supply locally exceeded buyers’ interest to source locally. Transportation was identified as one of the major concerns by producers, and their responses to choice tasks revealed producers’ preferences to sell locally while pricing their products to secure sales revenue and to cover their logistics expenses at least partially.
Highlights
A food system links producers of food and consumers, involving production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste disposal processes [1]
Local food systems have been conceptualized as sustainable food systems that are geographically contained, where the food is sourced closer to consumption, minimizing fuel use and marketing expenses associated with distance and providing better returns to farmers [2,4]
After describing the characteristics of the respondents, we proceed to present the survey findings as they related to the local food system and the barriers faced by producers in terms of logistics
Summary
A food system links producers of food and consumers, involving production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste disposal processes [1]. In the Great Plains, low population density implies that producers are likely to be located far from high concentrations of consumers, requiring additional cost to transport the goods from the farm to consumers Agriculture in this region is distinctly industrial and relatively more commoditized than the rest of the country, specializing mostly in large-scale grains and livestock operations. Practitioners of alternative agricultural strategies in rural areas often find they must minimize association with urban “progressive” environmental or social movements in order to make their efforts more locally palatable to other farmers and consumers, or in many cases, deliver products to urban markets at great distance [23]. After describing the characteristics of the respondents, we proceed to present the survey findings as they related to the local food system and the barriers faced by producers in terms of logistics
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