Values-Based Supply Chains as a Strategy for Supporting Small and Mid-Scale Producers in the United States

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly interested in the "values" associated with the food they eat and are often willing to pay more for food for which there is a "story" that links farm to fork. The "values" associated with these foods may be that they are locally produced, by small or mid-scale farms, or use production practices that enhance the environment. Wholesale channels that provide marketing options for small and mid-scale producers and support these values are referred to as "values-based supply chains" (VBSCs). Goals of VBSCs are to: (1) provide greater economic stability for producers and others along the supply chain; and (2) provide high quality, regional food to consumers. After a brief overview of VBSCs, we then describe three cases-a specialty food manufacturer, a natural food cooperative and a regional "food hub"-representing different entry points along the food supply chain. We analyze them regarding the common benefits of VBSCs: transparency, fair prices to farmers and ease of purchasing from small and mid-scale producers. We conclude with common themes that emerge for VBSCs of the future and what it will take to strengthen them within regional food systems.

From Short Food Supply Chains to Sustainable Agriculture in Urban Food Systems: Food Democracy as a Vector of Transition

“…However, as already highlighted by recent works on the 'agriculture of the middle' [7][8][9], a larger reality can be observed in these networks. This is particularly true in France where direct selling has been a traditional system of distribution, and where 'short food chains' have been officially defined and are supported by recent public policies.…”

“…Moreover, the agricultural dimension of these networks remains little studied beyond general references to organic farming [6]. A more recent field of research has enlarged the scope of 'alternative' food chains by going beyond contesting direct-to-consumer channels, and analyzing the development of 'values-based supply chains' [7] as intermediate chains in which actors share a commitment to social, environmental, and/or economic values. As these chains are dedicated to ascent in the 1960s when the import of the US model of supermarkets to Western Europe offering low prices through mass sale, self-service, and the suppression of 'small' intermediaries [18].…”

"Put Your Own Mask on Before Helping Someone Else": The Capacity of Food Hubs to Build Equitable Food Access

“…The erosion of regional food systems and the continued loss of midsized farms, 1 especially since the 1980s, has been widely documented (Feenstra & Hardesty, 2016;Kirschenmann, Stevenson, Buttel, Lyson, & Duffy, 2008;. Technological innovation in production methods and vertical integration of the food industry has played a major role in shifting production to larger farms, but many other complex processes are implicated as well, including agricultural policy and trade, farmer debt, commodity price fluctuations, shifting demographics, globalized economies, and more Woods, 2014).…”

“…Today, midscale agricultural producers are both too large to operate in direct markets and too small to compete in the commodity market (Feenstra & Hardesty, 2016;Kirschenmann et al, 2008). Recent efforts to renew "agriculture of the middle" have recognized the key role that "infrastructure of the middle" plays in linking midsized farms and scale-appropriate regional markets like schools, universities, and hospitals (Hardesty et al, 2014;Stahlbrand, 2017).…”

Developing Mid-Tier Supply Chains (France) and Values-Based Food Supply Chains (USA): A Comparison of Motivations, Achievements, Barriers and Limitations

“…From the start, U.S. researchers recognized that the size of farms that would profit from participating in these supply chains is scale-related rather than scale-determined and many of the farms that participate are relatively large [24]. Second the article by Feenstra and Hardesty in this volume presents three U.S. VBFSCs that provide new opportunities for mid-sized farmers and have farmer-centric marketing messages but were initiated and are managed by supply chain participants other than farmers [25].…”