Collective Marketing Enterprises among Small- Scale Organic and Low-input Farmers: Balancing Community-based Values in Relation to the Marketplace

Direct marketing by small-scale, organically-oriented farmers in the United States has risen in popularity in recent decades in the form of farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture, roadside stands and U-pick operations, yet some farmers struggle to find enough demand in their local, rural communities for these high-value organic or natural products. Because marketing to urban areas where demand is higher for these products can be time-consuming and cost-prohibitive, some farmers have initiated marketing and distribution businesses that connect urban customers with locally produced organic foods through online shopping and correspondence. Using interviews, documents and observations gathered from three marketing businesses in northeastern Alabama and western Georgia, this study examines the social and economic functions of these businesses for farmers and consumers. We find that most farmers are not solely dependent on the internetbased income, but consider it an additional outlet often secondary to their own direct sales. This study also finds that although the farmers do not usually know the customers of the internet-based sales, they depend on their direct relationships with their private customers for understanding the needs and desires of online customers. Most farmers are highly embedded within the sustainable agriculture social movement, sharing values of environmental protection, human health and community food security. Finally, this study finds that the decisionmaking structure of each collective marketing enterprise (CME) was not found to be as important in determining the business practices. Instead, the market managers were the most influential in balancing economic motivations of the business with the community-oriented values held by farmers.