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2018 Autumn | Agriculture and Food Systems

A Farmer’s Take on Direct-Marketing

Student(s):

Carly Lester

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Floor van Ede, Jan Hilbert

Partner(s):

  • n'Groene Kans

Faculty advisor(s):

Eli Wheat, Program on the Environment, University of Washington

Where and from who we purchase our food creates a comparative advantage between small-farms and conventional farms. This study analyzed how small-scale farmers sold their produce through direct marketing; a form of marketing where farm-producers sell their produce directly to the source that is consuming it. I traveled to Groenekan, Netherlands to work on a small, organic farm through the organization WWOOF to equip myself with the knowledge of how to operate a small farm. While there, I conducted open-ended interviews that asked participants about how they utilize marketing strategies. This same interview style was used with farmers from Colorado and Washington. The results provided an insight into small farmers’ preferred marketing strategy — direct-to-consumer — as well as information that could be used to improve marketing outlets.