| Abstract: |
Direct sales are a widespread and important typology of the so-called
Alternative Food Networks. The direct links between producers and consumers
can take two basic forms: consumers going to buy agricultural products at the
farm (on-farm sales), and farmers selling their products in urban areas. These
practices are an alternative to traditional organizations of the agro-food
chains, that typically involve several operators between producers and
consumers. It is therefore important to analyse the reasons pushing farmers to
adopt this new organization of their marketing chain. This research aims at
analysing the territorial distribution of direct links between urban consumers
and farmers in Piedmont (Italy), and to assess the main determinants of their
choice. Firstly, the territorial distribution of direct sales practices
(on-farm or elsewhere) is analysed. This is made possible by the access to
micro-data from the 2010 Agricultural Census for Piedmont, a region whose
agriculture is characterized by a strong emphasis on quality products. The
farms that chose direct sales, both on- and off-farm, are mostly concentrated
in specific clusters, such as the hilly wine-growing areas of Langhe and
Monferrato, the hilly belt surrounding Torino, and some low Alpine valleys.
Secondly, we analyse the determinants of the choice to sell directly to
consumers, separately for on-farm and off-farm sales, with probit models.
Explanatory variables comprise the structural characteristics of the farms
(farm size, type of farming, etc.), the personal characteristics of the
operators and of the farm households, and the proximity to urban and
commercial areas. Operators’ and farm characteristics are found to affect the
choice of selling directly, but rather weakly. The most important factors
affecting these choices are farm location and, for on-farm direct sales, the
complementarity with agro-tourism and recreational activities. |