Producer and consumer perspectives on supporting and diversifying local food systems in central Iowa

Abstract

The majority of food in the US is distributed through global/national supply chains that exclude locally-produced goods. This situation offers opportunities to increase local food production and consumption and is influenced by constraints that limit the scale of these activities. We conducted a study to assess perspectives of producers and consumers engaged in food systems of a major Midwestern city. We examined producers’ willingness to include/increase cultivation of local foods and consumers’ interest in purchasing/increasing local foods. We used focus groups of producers (two groups of conventional farmers, four local food producers) and consumers (three conventional market participants, two locavores) to pose questions about production/consumption of local foods. We transcribed discussions verbatim and examined text to identify themes, using separate affinity diagrams for producers and consumers. We found producers and consumers are influenced by the status quo and real and perceived barriers to local foods. We also learned participants believed increasing production and consumption of local foods would benefit their community and creating better infrastructure could enhance efforts to scale up local food systems. Focus group participants also indicated support from external champions/programs could support expansion of local foods. We learned that diversifying local food production was viewed as a way to support local community, increase access to healthy foods and reduce environmental impacts of conventional production. Our research indicates that encouraging producers and consumers in local food systems will be more successful when support for the local community is emphasized.

What would it look like? Visualizing a future US Corn Belt landscape with more table food production

“…A mixed-mode survey (approved by the Iowa State University Institutional Review Board) of a random and representative sample of current PUA producers was administered in spring 2021 to 1363 row crop and 55 specialty crop producers in the DM-MSA by the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology at Iowa State University. The survey was based on results of a series of focus groups (Dorneich et al, 2023) and designed to help researchers understand DM-MSA producers' willingness to grow specialty crops based on their current and intended agricultural land use and factors influencing their production decisions. Survey dissemination (multiple contacts, mail, and internet distribution methods) followed Dillman, Smyth and Christian (2014) and response rates were 32% for row crop producers (n = 433) and 53% for specialty crop producers (n = 29) (survey methodology and questions are available in Appendix A).…”