Market challenges for local specialty crop producers during the early phase of COVID-19 in North Carolina

Abstract

In March of 2020, as the number of COVID-19 cases increased in North Carolina (NC), the state encouraged people to stay at home; this included closing restaurants and canceling large events, as well as reducing the number of people gathering. The economic and health crises created by COVID-19 forced specialty crop producers who sell to local markets, such as restaurants and institutions, to pivot their marketing plans as the growing season began to ramp up. This article reports the responses to the first in a series of producer surveys assessing the impact of the economic and health crises on crop production, market channels, and producer concerns during one of the most insecure times in modern history. Results show that producers who could pivot their marketing plans mostly increased sales through online channels and farm stands. However, almost 50% of the usual market channels were reported to be closed due to COVID-19. Additionally, most producers voiced concerns about economic and health safety in the immediate future. To address these concerns as the pandemic unfolded, there was a need for trusted information. Respondents reported that they rely on Extension and other government agencies for this information and updates regarding the pandemic. This survey captured the early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the specialty crop-producing industry in NC. Additional surveys will provide information on how the pandemic evolved during 2020.

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“…In general, farmers were able to make the decision to grow different and diverse crops, problem-solve in ways they saw fit, and, importantly, shift market channels. Market-channel pivots during the pandemic were common among small farms across the U.S. (Dankbar et al, 2021;Lemos & Ackoff, 2020;Local Food Research Center, 2021;White, 2021), and in international studies have been associated with positive outcomes (Benedek et al, 2021;Hsiao et al, 2021;Mastronardi et al, 2021).…”

Adaptations and innovations: Analyzing food system organizations' responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

“…Hege et al (2021) describe this as a "perfect storm" (p. 241) where the confluence of many food system impediments forced organizations to innovate quickly. In North Carolina, many specialty-crop producers reported significant damage to their businesses as a result of the pandemic (Dankbar et al, 2021). The lost or reduced capacity of previously established supply chains required producers to rework their operations and oftentimes sell directly to consumers.…”

“…Throughout the pandemic, many food system stakeholders have had to make immediate pivots or pursue innovations in response to changes in demand (e.g., increases for food pantries, decline in customers for restaurants), public health guidance (e.g., distributing food boxes instead of allowing clients to "shop" through pantries, acquiring masks, and shifting to online communications), and supply-chain disruptions (e.g., finding new sources for restaurants, piloting direct-to-consumer programs) (Dankbar et al, 2021;Hege et al, 2021). At the same time, scholars suggested that the crises evident during the pandemic created an opportunity to rebuild food systems that are more just and sustainable (Blay-Palmer et al, 2021;Cox & Beynon-MacKinnon, 2020;Glaros et al, 2021).…”

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“…describe this as a "perfect storm" (p. 241) where the confluence of many food system impediments forced organizations to innovate quickly. In North Carolina, many specialty-crop producers reported significant damage to their businesses as a result of the pandemic (Dankbar et al, 2021). The lost or reduced capacity of previously established supply chains required producers to rework their operations and oftentimes sell directly to consumers.…”

“…Throughout the pandemic, many food system stakeholders have had to make immediate pivots or pursue innovations in response to changes in demand (e.g., increases for food pantries, decline in customers for restaurants), public health guidance (e.g., distributing food boxes instead of allowing clients to "shop" through pantries, acquiring masks, and shifting to online communications), and supply-chain disruptions (e.g., finding new sources for restaurants, piloting direct-to-consumer programs) (Dankbar et al, 2021;. At the same time, scholars suggested that the crises evident during the pandemic created an opportunity to rebuild food systems that are more just and sustainable (Blay-Palmer et al, 2021;Cox & Beynon-MacKinnon, 2020;Glaros et al, 2021).…”