An ethnographic analysis of consumer information processing and decision-making at farmers’ markets

Purpose Farmers’ markets have grown rapidly in recent years and at the same time consumers increasingly desire to eat healthfully and sustainably. This research aims to analyze the way consumers process information regarding local food claims such as sustainability and organics when shopping for local foods at farmers’ markets. Design/methodology/approach This research uses ethnographic methods that included interviews with 36 participants, more than 100 hours of participant observation and prolonged engagement over a two and half-year period. Findings The findings indicate that there are two dominant types of consumers at the farmers’ market, hedonistic and utilitarian consumers. Hedonistic consumers rely on heuristic cues such as aesthetics, their relationship with the farmer and other peripheral sources of information when making purchase decisions. Utilitarian consumers, by contrast, carefully analyze marketing messages using central route cues and tend to be more conscious of their purchase choices. Practical implications This study will help farmers more effectively position their marketing messages and help consumers be aware how they process information in this space. Originality/value Unlike previous studies of consumer behavior at farmers’ markets that primarily use survey methods, this study uses observational and ethnographic methods to capture in situ interactions in this complex buying context. Further, while much work has been done on broad concepts of local food and organic preferences, this study provides a more in-depth look at consumer information processing in the farmers’ market space that reflects a mixture of organic and non-organic food.

Kitchen Wizards: Community Engaged Learning at The Wolfville Farmers’ Market

This article tells the story of an introductory, undergraduate required course with a significant community service-learning project developed in partnership between the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia University and the Wolfville Farmers’ Market. This partnership began in 2009, with the vision of putting food and community at the centre of the School’s pedagogy. After two years of developing a trusting relationship between the partners with the integration of focused assignments, a community-service learning initiative called Kitchen Wizards was created. Kitchen Wizards, now in its 10th year, engages 50 to 80 first-year School of Nutrition and Dietetics’ students with the community each fall semester through a Food Commodities course. The initiative introduces 6 to 12-year-old children to in-season local vegetables through a taste-testing experience centered around a simple, healthy recipe made from local produce at the Farmer’s Market, which gives the children purchasing power to buy a vegetable with a three-dollar voucher after participating in the tasting. This Kitchen Wizard’s story was developed from an action research case study, grounded in a constructivist paradigm, which explored the community-valued outcomes of this program over a three-year period, as well as the student and institutional benefits. This study was conducted by a team that included the Wolfville Farmers’ Market Coordinator and the Director of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics who teaches the Food Commodities course. Through observation, dialogue and in-depth interviews conducted with students, teaching assistants, community members, Market staff, faculty, and university administration, insights were derived that illuminate community engaged learning as a key strategy for teaching about local food systems that puts both food and community at the centre.

Cereal-Legume Value Chain Analysis: A Case of Smallholder Production in Selected Areas of Malawi

This article analyses the cereal-legume value chain in Malawi through a comprehensive VC Map, a SWOT exercise and a policy analysis. VC participation entails a number of challenges for smallholders. Limited access to land, technology and inputs, inadequate knowledge of market functioning, insufficient access to credit and extension services, combined with more general problems of poor infrastructures, often prevent smallholder farmers from accessing profitable market opportunities. The effectiveness of national policies (e.g., public extension service support, inputs subsidy system) oriented to increase smallholders’ market access is often constrained by inadequate financial capacity, an inefficient public extension services system and limited involvement of privates in the extension services scheme. VC interventions should distinguish between VC-ready farmers, namely those provided with the minimum conditions of external and internal factors, and non-value-chain-ready farmers. Market-based interventions (e.g., enhancing VC coordination) are needed for enhancing market access of value-chain-ready farmers. Conversely, while non-market-based interventions (e.g., investments in basic infrastructure, increasing extension services, credit and inputs access) prove necessary to build the minimum asset thresholds for non-value-chain-ready farmers’ participation in the market. A smallholder-friendly VC development relies on the role played by VC actors and the need to harmonise and improve existing policies to remove inadequacies, conflicts and overlaps in the various institutions charged with implementation.

A simple paper-based biosensor for on-site visual detection of organophosphate residues

In general, the laboratory method of analyzing pesticides in vegetables is complicated due to the high cost of equipment and chemicals. The process of analyzing pesticide residues generally requires expertise as well as a significant period of time. In this study, a paper-based biosensor was developed for the detection of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, particularly organophosphate pesticides. The paperbased biosensor was constructed based on the Ellman colorimetric assay by immobilizing AChE on cellulose paper with 2% alginate gel, 0.25% glutaraldehyde and the colorimetric reagent 5,5-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) in phosphate buffer (pH 8.0). As a substrate, acetylthiocholine chloride (ATChCl) was used. The results showed that the developed paperbased biosensor has been stable for 2 weeks with a detection limit of 0.03 mM of chlorpyrifos. The paper-based biosensor was applied to detect organophosphate pesticides in vegetables from the farmers’ market, Ratchaburi Province. It was found that the test results of the paper-based biosensor were similar to the commercial GT-test kit. The paper-based biosensor was 10 times faster than the GT-test kit in terms of testing time and the results were easy to identify due to the color-based indicator. As a result, a paper-based biosensor is rapid, portable and easy to use by the general population.

Associations between farmers’ market shopping behaviors and objectively measured and self-reported fruit and vegetable intake in a diverse sample of farmers’ market shoppers: a cross-sectional study in New York City and rural North Carolina

Objective: To examine cross-sectional associations between farmers’ market shopping behaviors and objectively measured and self-reported fruit and vegetable (FV) intake among rural North Carolina (NC) and New York City (NYC) shoppers. Design: Cross-sectional intercept surveys were used to assess self-reported FV intake and three measures of farmers’ market shopping behavior: (1) frequency of purchasing FV, (2) variety of FV purchased, and (3) dollars spent on FV. Skin carotenoids, a non-invasive biomarker for FV intake, were objectively measured using pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy. Associations between farmers’ market shopping behaviors and FV intake were examined using regression models that controlled for demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, race, smoking status, education, income, and state). Setting: Farmers’ markets (n=17 markets) in rural NC and NYC. Participants: A convenience sample of 645 farmers’ market shoppers. Results: Farmers’ market shoppers in NYC purchased a greater variety of FV and had higher skin carotenoid scores compared to shoppers in rural NC. Among all shoppers, there was a positive, statistically significant association between self-reported frequency of shopping at farmers’ markets and self-reported as well as objectively assessed FV intake. The variety of FV purchased and farmers’ market spending on FV also were positively associated with self-reported FV intake, but not skin carotenoids. Conclusion: Those who shop for FV more frequently at a farmers’ markets, purchase a greater variety of FV, and spend more money on FV have higher self-reported, and in some cases higher objectively measured FV intake. Further research is needed to understand these associations and test causality.

Analysis of marketing efficiency of shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) in Karanganyar Regency

The research aimed to analyze the marketing efficiency of shallot in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java. The study used the snowball sampling method, which consisted of farmers, collectors, traders, and consumers. Samples in this research are 120 shallot farmers with questionnaires. The data analysis consists of descriptive marketing funnel analysis, marketing margin analysis using the cost, profit, and marketing margin formula calculations, marketing efficiency analysis economically using marketing margin percentage, and farmer’s share. The results indicate that there are four marketing funnels for shallot: (1) Farmers - market traders - retailers - consumers (2) Farmers - collectors - market traders - retailers - consumers (3) Farmers - collectors - market traders outside the city - consumers outside the city (4) Farmers - collectors outside the city - consumers outside the city. Based on the farmer’s share value results, the most efficient in this study was marketing funnel four. It has the highest farmer share value of 88,83% and occurs when shallot farmers sell products directly to final consumers. Farmers are better off offering shallots ready to be sold to the final consumer, so the price offered can be high.

Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan Dan Promosi Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Farmers Market Kalibata City (Studi Kasus Pada Perusahaan Sektor Retail Farmers Market Kalibata City)

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh kualitas pelayanan terhadap kepuasan pelanggan, untuk mengetahui Pengaruh Promosi terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan, untuk mengetahui Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan dan Promosi terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Pada Farmers Market Kalibata City. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini adalah metode kuantitatif asosiatif dengan 97 sampel penelitian. Hasil pengujian hipotesis pertama diperoleh nilai t hitung > t tabel (7.342 > 1,98525) Hal tersebut juga diperkuat dengan nilai Sig. < 0,05 atau (0,000 < 0,05). Dengan demikian maka H0 ditolak dan H1 diterima, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa secara parsial variabel Kualitas Pelayanan terdapat pengaruh signifikan terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan pada Farmers Market Kalibata City. Berdasarkan pada hasil pengujian hipoteisis kedua diperoleh nilai t hitung > t tabel atau (7.131 > 1,98525), hal tersebut juga diperkuat dengan nilai Sig. < 0,05 atau (0,000 < 0,05). Dengan demikian maka H0 ditolak dan H2 diterima, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa secara parsial variabel Promosi terdapat pengaruh signifikan terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan pada Farmers Market Kalibata City. Berdasarkan pada hasil pengujian hipotesis ketiga diperoleh nilai Fhitung > Ftabel atau (41.180 > 3,09), hal ini juga diperkuat dengan ρ value < Sig. 0,05 atau (0,000 < 0,05). Dengan demikian maka H0 ditolak dan H3 diterima, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa secara simultan variabel Kualitas Pelayanan dan Promosi terdapat pengaruh signifikan terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan pada Farmers Market Kalibata City.