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Alternative Food Networks pp 173–196Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in AFNs

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Abstract

In this chapter Corsi, Novelli, and Pettenati analyse the reasons that lead farmers to adopt direct selling or more generally AFNs, distinguishing between on-farm and off-farm direct sales. The issue is discussed first from a theoretical perspective. Next, empirical evidence is presented, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Using census data, the determinants of the choice to sell directly on-farm and off-farm are analysed on the basis of farm structural characteristics, farmers’ personal characteristics, and geographical explanatory variables. Then the results of an in-depth qualitative analysis of individual motivations carried out with a focus group of local producers are presented. The results highlight the technical constraints to the adoption of the direct chains as well as the subjective motivations, both monetary and non-monetary.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Only Monson et al. (2008) find a negative effect of growing fruit on participation in FMs and a positive effect of non-certified organic farming.

  2. 2.

    The Standard Output is a standard measure of the economic size of a farm calculated in the European Union Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN). It is computed as the sum of unit standard values of production, determined for the different crops and livestock within each region, times the quantities involved.

  3. 3.

    The type of farming as contemplated by Regulation (EC) No. 1242/2008 classifies farms on the basis of the relative contribution of the Standard Output of specific crops or livestock to the farm’s total Standard Output.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics and Statistics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Alessandro Corsi

  2. Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco (TO), Italy

    Silvia Novelli

  3. Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Giacomo Pettenati

Authors
  1. Alessandro Corsi
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  2. Silvia Novelli
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  3. Giacomo Pettenati
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Novelli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics and Statistics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Alessandro Corsi

  2. Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Filippo Barbera

  3. Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

    Egidio Dansero

  4. Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco (TO), Italy

    Cristiana Peano

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Corsi, A., Novelli, S., Pettenati, G. (2018). Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in AFNs. In: Corsi, A., Barbera, F., Dansero, E., Peano, C. (eds) Alternative Food Networks. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90409-2_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

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