Local food 2.0: How do regional, intermediated, food value chains affect stakeholder learning? A case study of a community-supported fishery (CSF) program

Abstract

Local and regional food initiatives—new ways of connecting food suppliers with nearby consumers—have proliferated in recent decades in the USA and beyond. One manifestation of this local food movement is the emergence of community-supported fishery (CSF) programs: alternative seafood distribution arrangements with shortened, traceable supply chains. Such alternative food value chains are seen as having the potential to benefit multiple stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, and intermediaries; however, the nature of those benefits—and the degree to which they foster connection among stakeholders—needs to be better understood. In particular, regional, intermediated value chains are less well understood than those that involve direct sales from harvester to consumer. This case study examines an intermediated, regional CSF (Fishadelphia) intentionally designed to connect culturally dissimilar stakeholders: New Jersey seafood suppliers and diverse consumers in Philadelphia. The project is coordinated by high school students from the Philadelphia neighborhoods served by the project. The paper examines the perspectives of three participant groups—suppliers, students, and customers—and compares motivations for taking part, values derived from doing so, and awareness of/interest in other stakeholders. Input was solicited from all active members of each participant group. Data were collected at multiple points during Fishadelphia’s first year of operations using a combination of surveys and individual/group interviews. We found that views of other stakeholders in this value chain varied widely within and across groups; these views showed some evidence of being affected by direct face-to-face contact. Our findings suggest that interplay among three types of values—self-interested, altruistic, and relational—may be important in motivating stakeholders to initiate and sustain participation in alternative value chains. This analysis furthers understanding of varied benefits that alternative food value chains can yield for different stakeholders, and illuminates opportunities for, and limitations to, the development of connection among value chain stakeholders.