Reading Summaries (8): Local Embeddedness of Farmers Market

The first article is coming from Feagan & Morris (2009) entitled “Consumer quest for embeddedness: a case study of the Brantford Farmers’ Market.” This research examines consumer motivations for shopping at the Brantford Farmers’ Market in south-central Ontario, Canada. The authors use the concept of embeddedness (social, spatial and natural spheres) to understand and organize the sets of values tied to consumer motivations at FMs. Social embeddedness is a value associated with ‘economies of regard,' trust, social interaction, and responsibility. Natural embeddedness contains consumer desires for food associated with more ecologically values like organic production and sustainable farming methods. Spatial embeddedness includes a group of motivations associated with the desire to buy food produced locally and more directly linked.

The survey collected basic demographic data through the use of close-ended, Likert-scale, open-ended questions, and audiotaped responses. 149 participants were surveyed, with about 50 declining. Basic descriptive statistics and regression analysis were implemented in data analysis. The Brantford FM respondents represent an older demographic profile than the overall population of this region which dominant in the 50–59 age category with about 70% being age 50 or more, and with the majority of women (63%).

The result showed that more than 70% of respondents strongly believed that FM products were fresher and healthier (28%) than food available elsewhere. The research shows that only 20% of respondents held price as significant factors! 83% of respondents agreed strongly about supporting local farmers. Similarly, 85% of these FM patrons agreed strongly with buying local.

FM patron motivations found expression in all three of the embeddedness spheres. The spatial embeddedness factors of buying fresh, healthy produce, supporting local farms, buying local, and broader community support, were all elements in the mix of values sought by the FM patrons. The social embeddedness quality is also in a sense. Recommendation from the authors is comparing shoppers at both FMs and at conventional supermarket food venues to gather some differences related to the context and expediency in the further work.

Embeddedness, the new food economy, and defensive localism 

Differs to Feagan & Morris, Winter’s (2003) article explores the relationship between quality and local embeddedness of food purchases in five rural localities of England and Wales. He argues that the interest through the operation of alternative food systems may be characterized by a focus on consumer concerns over human health and food safety, the environmental consequences of globalized and industrialized agriculture, farm animal welfare, and fair trade. For this reason, the research question of this article is about “how alternative food networks should be conceptualized within rural studies in the notion of embeddedness as developed in economic sociology and geography?” This paper also has three primary purposes: (i) examine the concept of embeddedness and its value to the food economy (ii) explores the idea of quality as a key component in the embeddedness discourse. And (iii) drawing on empirical research on food purchasing. The results came as a surprise with purchases local food being significantly more widespread than organic food (Tables 1–3, p.28). 

Furthermore, meaning and signification within food purchases become necessary. On the other word, the essential function of consumption is its capacity to “make sense.’’ This ‘making sense’ takes place in social relationships. Consequently, the emergence of alternative food networks not simply as an antithesis to the global market. It is open to question whether we can equate either the turn to quality or the turn to localism as the first steps towards an alternative food economy which will challenge the dominant of global agri-food systems. There is an opportunity for more research to uncover the motivations of local purchasers and the consequences of their actions. Research collaboration and integration in economic and the sociological perspectives are needed to understand the complex meanings and significations of alternative food systems in praxis.

Reading this paper together with the Feagan & Morris’ articles will give us more understanding of the relationship and the complexity of embeddedness and localism related to the consumer’s motivation on food purchasing. These two articles also remind us that the market processes – or other socioeconomic processes - is not in a single aspect but always as complex combinations of multiple dimensions of social life.