Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide a holistic examination of local food entrepreneurs (LFE) across the local food system (LFS) of a specific U.S. geographic region, including the drivers and barriers to their success. Over the past few decades, there has been a surge in entrepreneurs becoming involved in the LFS which includes the production (farming and manufacturing), distribution, and retail of local ag-related products and services. The LFS is complex and entrepreneurs operating within the system are often met with steep barriers of entry and have trouble maintaining long-term success. Through recorded semi-structured interviews of LFEs (producers, processors, and purveyors) in the Missouri Ozark region, data was gathered and coded according to grounded theory methodologies. From the data collection, 24 emergent themes were identified using thematic clustering. These were further consolidated into eight categorical themes (strategy, skills development, financially sustainable model, differentiation drivers, operational drivers, external drivers, internal constraints, and external constraints) and three over-riding themes (approach, drivers, and barriers). This cross-sectional approach in examining entrepreneurs across the value chain in an LFS provides new insights into the unique entrepreneurial mindset of LFEs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- LFE:
-
Local food entrepreneur
- LFS:
-
Local food system
- CFS:
-
Commodity food system
- AFN:
-
Artisan food network
References
Alonso, Abel Duarte, and Jeremy Northcote. 2010. Small winery operators and business vision: A Western Australian case. Journal of Wine Research 21 (1): 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571264.2010.495852.
Ashely, Dancer, Peter Newton, and Veronica House. 2019. The difficulties of developing local food systems. Food Studies: an Interdisciplinary Journal 9 (4): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.18848/2160-1933/cgp.
Barnes, A.P., H. Hansson, G. Manevska-Tasevska, S.S. Shrestha, and S.G. Thomson. 2015. The influence of diversification on long-term viability of the agricultural sector. Land Use Policy 49: 404–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LANDUSEPOL.2015.08.023.
Becker, Barbara, and Susan L. Bradbury. 1994. Feedback on tourism and community development: The downside of a booming tourist economy. Community Development Journal 29 (3): 268–276.
Benedek, Z., I. Ferto, C. Galamba Marreiros, P.M. Aguiar, C.B. Pocol, L. Cechura, A. Poder, P. Paaso, and Z. Bakucs. 2021. Farm diversification as a potential success factor for small-scale farmers constrained by COVID-related lockdown. Contributions from a survey conducted in four European countries during the first wave of COVID-19. PLoS ONE 16 (5): e0251715. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251715.
Bernard, H Russell, Amber Wutich, and Gery W. Ryan. 2016. Analyzing qualitative data: Systematic approaches. London: SAGE publications.
Born, B., and M. Purcell. 2006. Avoiding the local trap: Scale and food systems in planning research. Journal of Planning Education and Research. 26 (2): 1950207. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X06291389.
Boys, Kathryn, and David Hughes. 2013. A regional economics-based research agenda for local food systems. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2013.034.012.
Britannica, T. 2020. Ozark Mountains. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Edited by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica.
Bryman, Alan. 1984. The debate about quantitative and qualitative research: A question of method or epistemology? The British Journal of Sociology 35 (1): 75–92.
Chapman, Angela M., and Harold A. Perkins. 2019. Malign and benign neglect: A local food system and the myth of sustainable redevelopment in Appalachia Ohio. Agriculture and Human Values 37 (1): 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09976-5.
Clark, Sean. 2020. Financial viability of an on-farm processing and retail enterprise: A case study of value-added agriculture in rural Kentucky (USA). Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020708.
Conner, David S., Noelle Sevoian, Sarah N. Heiss, and Linda Berlin. 2014. The diverse values and motivations of Vermont farm to institution supply chain actors. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 27 (5): 695–713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-013-9485-4.
Creswell, John W., and Dana L. Miller. 2000. Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice 39 (3): 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2.
Donaldson, Andrew. 2021. Digital from farm to fork: Infrastructures of quality and control in food supply chains. Journal of Rural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.10.004.
Duncan, Sally, Christy Anderson Brekken, Sue Lurie, Rob Fiegener, Seth Sherry, and Chyi-lyi Liang. 2018. Can regional food networks and entrepreneurial strategies enhance food system resilience? Choices 33 (2): 10.
Fadda, Nicoletta. 2018. The effects of entrepreneurial orientation dimensions on performance in the tourism sector. New England Journal of Entrepreneurship 21 (1): 22–44. https://doi.org/10.1108/neje-03-2018-0004.
Glaser, Barney, and Anselm Strauss. 2005. Grounded theory methods and qualitative family research. Journal of Marriage and Family 67 (November): 837–857. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00179.x.
Glaser, Barney G., Anselm L. Strauss, and David Matza. 1966. Reviewed works: Awareness of dying. American Sociological Review 31 (4): 552–553.
Ikerd, John. 2020. U.S. farm policy alternatives for 2020. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.094.015.
Johnston, Nicholas Edward, Tun-Min. Jai, Kelly Virginia Phelan, and Natalia Velikova. 2018. Branding state-level pride: Exploring values and attitudes of local food product consumption. Journal of Foodservice Business Research 21 (6): 659–681. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2018.1531740.
Johnston, Nick E., Tun-Min. Jai, Kelly Virginia Phelan, and Natalia Velikova. 2022. Supporting sustainable marketing programs: exploring relationships between cultural values, green attitudes and intent. Social Responsibility Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-10-2020-0405.
Kinsey, Jean D. 2001. The new food economy: Consumers, farms, pharms, and science. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 83 (5): 1113–1130.
Kline, Carol, Neha Shah, and Heather Rubright. 2014. Applying the positive theory of social entrepreneurship to understand food entrepreneurs and their operations. Tourism Planning & Development 11 (3): 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2014.890126.
Kwil, Izabela, Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej, and Ma.łgorzata Krzywonos. 2020. Local entrepreneurship in the context of food production: a review. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010424.
Low, Sarah A., Aaron Adlja, Elizabeth Eaulieu, Nigel Key, Steve Martinez, Alex Melton, Agnes Perez, Katherine Ralston, Hayden Steward, Shellye Suttles, Stephen Vogel, and Becca B.R.. Jablonski. 2015. Trends in US local and regional food systems: A report to congress. United States Department of Agriculture.
Malone, T., and B. Whitacre. 2012. How rural is our local food policy? The Daily Yonder. 2012: 1–10.
Mamiit, Rusyan Jill, Steven Gray, and John Yanagida. 2021. Characterizing farm-level social relations’ influence on sustainable food production. Journal of Rural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.07.014.
Mars, Matthew M. 2018. What is local food entrepreneurship? Variations in the commercially and socially oriented features of entrepreneurship in the Southeastern Arizona local food system. Rural Sociology 83 (3): 568–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12197.
Mars, Matthew M. 2020. From within the shadows of the everyday: Localized entrepreneurship and the dilemaa of scale. Community Development 51 (5): 628–645.
Mars, Matthew M. 2022. From heroism to martyrdom: Entrepreneurial identity work in alternative market movements. Marketing Theory 23 (1): 81–97.
Mars, Matthew M., and Hope Jensen Schau. 2016. Institutional entrepreneurship and the negotiation and blending of multiple logics in the Southern Arizona local food system. Agriculture and Human Values 34 (2): 407–422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-016-9722-3.
Martinez, Steve, Michael Hand, Michelle De Pra, Susan Pollack, Katherine Ralston, Travis Smith, Stephen Vogel, Shellye Clark, Luanne Lohr, Sara Low, and Constance Newman. 2010. Local food systems: Concepts, impacts, and issues. Economic Research Report 97: 80.
Metaxas, Theodore, and Dimitris Karagiannis. 2016. Culinary tourism in Greece: Can the past define the future? Dimensions of innovation, entrepreneurship and regional development. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship. https://doi.org/10.1142/s1084946716500187.
Migliore, Giuseppina, Giorgio Schifani, Pietro Romeo, Shadi Hashem, and Luigi Cembalo. 2015. Are farmers in alternative food networks social entrepreneurs? Evidence from a behavioral approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 28 (5): 885–902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-015-9562-y.
Miles, Matthew B., A. Michael, and Huberman. 1994. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. London: Sage.
Müller, Sabine, and Steffen Korsgaard. 2017. Resources and bridging: The role of spatial context in rural entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 30 (1–2): 224–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2017.1402092.
Ohlmera, Bo., Kent Olson, and Berndt Brehmer. 1998. Understanding farmers’ decision making processes and improving managerial assistance. Agricultural Economics 18: 273–290.
Ojha, Renu, and Aditya R. Khanal. 2021. Specialized, diversified, or alternative on-farm enterprises? Examining economic returns and trade-offs using multinomial endogenous switching regression. Austin: 2021 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting.
Otto, John Solomon. 1985. Reconsidering the Southern “Hillbilly”: Appalachia and the Ozarks. Appalachian Journal 12 (4): 324–331.
Paudel, Krisshna P. 2002. Part time farming, farm productivity, and farm income: Evidence from the Southeast. Long Beach: American Agricultural Economics Association.
Ravitch, S.M., and N.M. Carl. 2016. Validity: Process, strategies, and considerations. Qualitative Research: Bridging the Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological 2016: 185–214.
Rossi, James D., Thomas G. Johnson, and Mary Hendrickson. 2017. The economic impacts of local and conventional food sales. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 49 (4): 555–570. https://doi.org/10.1017/aae.2017.14.
Santos, Filipe M. 2012. A positive theory of social entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Ethics 111 (3): 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1413-4.
Sauer, Carl O. 1920. The economic problem of the Ozark Highland. The Scientific Monthly 11 (3): 215–227.
Saulters, Mary Margaret, Mary K. Hendrickson, and Fabio Chaddad. 2018. Fairness in alternative food networks: An exploration with midwestern social entrepreneurs. Agriculture and Human Values 35 (3): 611–621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-018-9852-x.
Schnell, Steven M. 2013. Food miles, local eating, and community supported agriculture: Putting local food in its place. Agriculture and Human Values 30 (4): 615–628. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-013-9436-8.
Selfa, Theresa, and Joan Qazi. 2005. Place, taste, or face-to-face? Understanding producer-consumer networks in “Local” food systems in Washington State. Agriculture and Human Values 22 (4): 451–464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-005-3401-0.
Shah, Sonali K., and Kevin G. Corely. 2006. Building better theory by bridging the quantitative-qualitative divide. Journal of Management Studies 43 (8): 1821–1834.
Shows, George D., Pia A. Ablinsson, and James E. Stoddard. 2017. Entrepreneurship marketing in North Carolina’s wine industr. Atlantic Marketing Journal 6 (2): 43–54.
Singh, Surendra P., and Handy Williamson. 1981. Part-time farming: Productivity and some implications of off-farm work by farmers. Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics 13: 61–67.
Stanton, B.F. 1991. Farm structure: Concept and definition. New York: Cornell University.
Taylor, Steven J., Robert Bogdan, and Marjorie DeVault. 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. Hoboken: Wiley.
United States Census Bureau. 2023. QuickFacts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wrightcountymissouri,batescountymissouri,taneycountymissouri,shannoncountymissouri,greenecountymissouri,ozarkcountymissouri/PST045222. Accessed 06 June 2023.
United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] Economic Research Service. 2022. Food access research Atlas. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/. Accessed 03 June 2023.
Urquhart, Cathy, Hans Lehmann, and Michael D. Myers. 2010. Putting the “theory” back into grounded theory: Guidelines for grounded theory studies in information systems. Information Systems Journal 20 (4): 357–381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2009.00328.x.
Vliet, H. Van. 1958. Increased capital requirements and the problem of getting started in farming. H. Van Vliet 40 (5): 1613–1622.
Wheeler, Rebecca S. 1952. The workings of language. Westport: Prager Publishers.
Zahra, Shaker A., Eric Gedajlovic, Donald O. Neubaum, and Joel M. Shulman. 2009. A typology of social entrepreneurs: Motives, search processes and ethical challenges. Journal of Business Venturing 24 (5): 519–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2008.04.007.
Funding
This work was supported by an internal grant from Southeast Missouri State University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.
Ethical approval
The research was reviewed and approved by the Southeast Missouri State University Internal Review Board for compliance with ethical standards.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Crowley, E., Stovall, S.A., Johnston, N. et al. Lifestyle or profit? The complex decision-making criteria for local food entrepreneurs. Agric Hum Values 41, 225–238 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10485-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10485-9