A digital divide in direct market farmers’ online sales and marketing: Early pandemic evidence from California

Pesci, Sasha; Galt, Ryan E.; Durant, Jennie L.; Manser, Gwyneth M.; Asprooth, Lauren; Pinzón, Natalia

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103038

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Despite the competitive advantages of using online tools, some farmers lacked the resources or interest to use them. Previous research has found disparities in the use of these tools based on farmer demographics, farm characteristics, and available resources (Durant et al, 2023;Pesci et al, 2023;Schreiber et al, 2022). For example, research using the same dataset as this paper found that DMFs with an owner or manager who identified as white, female, and under 55 years old were more likely to have an online presence (Pesci et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Previous research has found disparities in the use of these tools based on farmer demographics, farm characteristics, and available resources (Durant et al, 2023;Pesci et al, 2023;Schreiber et al, 2022). For example, research using the same dataset as this paper found that DMFs with an owner or manager who identified as white, female, and under 55 years old were more likely to have an online presence (Pesci et al, 2023). In addition, DMFs with higher annual gross incomes and those not growing vegetables were more likely to sell products online (Pesci et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…For example, research using the same dataset as this paper found that DMFs with an owner or manager who identified as white, female, and under 55 years old were more likely to have an online presence (Pesci et al, 2023). In addition, DMFs with higher annual gross incomes and those not growing vegetables were more likely to sell products online (Pesci et al, 2023). Because of these disparities, we wanted to further understand the barriers and challenges that DMFs, particularly those who are marginalized (non-white and non-English speakers), experience in using online tools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…A section of the survey focused on farmers' use of online sales and marketing, which is the focus of this paper's analysis. Analyses of other portions of the data have been discussed by Durant et al (2023) and Pesci et al (2023).…”

Section: Appendix a Detailed Description Of Survey Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research revealed that DMFs who increased their online sales and marketing use were more resilient to market disruptions caused by the pandemic (Bachman et al, 2021;Durant et al, 2023;Liang & Tarpeh, 2021;Schreiber et al, 2022;Thilmany et al, 2021a). Specifically, DMFs who used online tools in 2020 were statistically significantly more likely to increase their sales and profitability from March through December 2020 than those who did not (Pesci et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Online tools helped direct market farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but resources are needed for equitable adoption

Pesci,

Durant,

Manser

et al. 2024

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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This paper examines the use by California’s direct market farmers (DMFs) of online sales and marketing during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, from March through December 2020. The pandemic caused market disruptions that accelerated the trend toward market digitalization. This paper reports quantitative findings based on 364 responses to an online survey of DMFs in California and qualitative findings from participant observation and 33 semi-structured interviews with DMFs and technical assistance providers. We found that online sales and marketing tools, such as social media and websites, were important for withstanding economic disruptions associated with the pandemic, and farmers who had an online presence were more likely to increase their sales and profitability during its early onset. However, we also found that many farmers lacked the necessary resources to access these tools and use them effectively, and that technical assistance providers experienced challenges in helping farmers with online technology use. We argue that DMFs need reliable access to the internet, as well as advice, resources, and training to access and benefit from online sales and marketing tools. These resources must be available in languages other than English (e.g., Spanish). Research-informed programs and policies can help DMFs navigate market digitalization and strengthen their resilience to future economic disruptions.

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