Assessing Farmers’ Objectives to Participate in Short Food Supply Chains

Abstract

The promotion of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) is an issue that is becoming more relevant to both the public and research agenda, aiming to build more sustainable agri-food supply chains and empower smallholder farmers. This research aims to determine the willingness of small farmers to adopt SFSCs as an alternative to conventional distribution. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was used to assess farmers' objectives of their agricultural activity in Spain, France and Morocco. For the selection of objectives, deep interviews (DI) and a literature review were carried out. Data were collected from a total of 180 farmers carried out between May and October 2022. Results showed that regardless of the stated interest of farmers in promoting SFSCs, the production-related objectives, especially "Increase productivity" and "Invest in knowledge and machinery", received the highest priority to distribution-related objectives. Moreover, objectives concerning social responsibility received the lowest relative importance, while the environmental preservation concerns outweighed social objectives (especially in the French case). The economic performance of the farm plays a decisive role in the farmers' decision-making as expected in the three case of study analyzed. This is important when exploring mechanisms to incentivize farmers to adopt SFSCs where economic sustainability and efficiency are needed. More research is needed to determine the relationship between the choice of supply chain alternatives and the objectives of the farming activity. This knowledge may help in providing alternatives and adapted solutions that are more sustainable regarding to farmer's preferences.