A Digital Divide: California’s Direct Market Farmers and Market Digitalization
By Sasha Pesci, Assistant Professor of Sustainability, Hofstra University
Keywords: alternative food networks, online markets, digital divide, farmers
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions in March 2020, farmers who normally sell directly to consumers were confronted with the trend toward market digitalization. Since 2010, consumers increasingly use the internet to buy–or find information about–products, and the pandemic further intensified this trend (Tyrväinen and Karjaluoto 2022). At the same time, when markets were disrupted due to pandemic-related restrictions, many farmers who normally sell directly to consumers (which I refer to as “direct market farmers”) turned to the Internet to promote their farms, communicate with customers, or sell their products (Danovich 2020; Kean 2020; Lamb 2020; Pretty 2020). Yet, although most farmers identified the need to increase their online presence in light of this trend, not all farmers had access to the resources necessary to do so (Nichols et al. 2022; Schreiber et al. 2022; Mesa Manzano and Esparcia Pérez 2023).
Focusing on direct market farmers in California, my research examines 1) the extent to which using online sales and marketing helped farmers access markets during the early pandemic, 2) farmers’ attitudes toward market digitalization, and how they intersect with farmers’ demographics and values, and 3) the extent to which market digitalization enables greater access and inclusion or further exclusion of farmers into markets along the lines of social difference (gender, race, ethnicity, and national origin).
This research project (which was my doctoral dissertation) is a product of collaborations with my lab mates, non-profit organizations, and undergraduate students. Amid the onset of a global pandemic, our lab (Ryan Galt’s Food Systems and Sustainability Lab) collaborated to design a survey to understand direct market farmers’ experience of the pandemic. We then co-authored two published journal articles based on findings from this survey (Durant et al. 2023; Pesci et al. 2023).
The primary goal of my dissertation research was to enhance direct market farmers’ social, economic, and ecological sustainability. For this reason, I consulted with the Small Farm Tech Hub Program at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), a non-profit organization that directly works with farmers in California, about my research objectives to ensure that they align with the information that could be useful for farmers. In addition, from April 2022 to March 2023, I worked as a contractor for the Small Farm Tech Hub. Through this role, I provided direct technical assistance and facilitated workshops for Spanish-speaking farmers about online technologies.
This experience enabled me to understand better the challenges that farmers experience with online technologies. Taking a community-engaged approach to my dissertation enabled me to 1) ensure that my findings were relevant to direct market farmers and 2) reach participants who are normally underrepresented in academic research, such as monolingual Spanish speakers.
I shared research findings directly with farmers at farmer conference presentations and workshops and wrote a report summarizing research findings for farmers, non-profit organizations, and the University of California Cooperative Extension (link to the report here on click on the photo below).
Findings from this research are based on quantitative data from 364 responses to an online survey, as well as qualitative data from 28 semi-structured interviews with farmers (in English and Spanish), five interviews with technical assistance providers, and participant observation at farmer workshops and technical assistance meetings.
I summarize my research findings into the following main themes:
Online technologies can help farmers sell their products, particularly during market disruptions. Farmers leveraged their use of online technologies to foster connections with their customers, expand their market reach, or streamline their work, which was particularly helpful during market disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020 (Pesci et al. 2023).
Direct market farmers have varying relationships with and attitudes toward market digitalization, and many farmers choose not to use specific online tools or abstain from online engagement altogether. While many farmers were compelled to adopt online technologies to respond to market digitalization, others actively resisted this pressure. In some cases, this resistance stemmed from their commitment to maintaining direct customer relationships and prioritizing local markets, which relates to values commonly associated with what scholars have termed Alternative Food Networks (AFNs).
The effects of the digitalization of markets in alternative food networks reflect broader social inequalities in the agri-food system and society. Many farmers who desired to improve their business by adopting new online technologies lacked the resources that would enable them to do so, which disadvantaged them in the market. Some of these barriers included lacking sufficient knowledge or skills, lacking funding (to hire someone or to pay for platforms), and lacking a reliable internet connection. For monolingual Spanish speakers, accessing information, training, or customer support from online sales platforms is also challenging since most of these resources are only available in English.
Direct market farmers have varying levels of digital technology knowledge and skills, which also intersect with farmers’ social position. For example, when I facilitated workshops for Mexican-origin immigrant farmers in Salinas, California, I saw firsthand their limited knowledge and level of comfort with online technology. In one of the workshops, nine out of eleven participants learned about the payment app Venmo for the first time (a tool that is almost necessary for collecting payments when customers do not carry cash). A person’s technology skills are not inherently tied to their ethnicity or national origin but are a result of their access to education, resources, and time. Generally, farmers with a more privileged position in U.S. society are more likely to have access to the education and resources necessary to adopt online sales and marketing technologies.
Market digitalization adds a new dimension to the many ongoing challenges that small-scale and direct market farmers experience, particularly those who are marginalized. The pandemic and the burst of market digitalization have illuminated and intensified the vulnerability of direct market farmers and the social inequalities that exist within the agri-food system.
Developing research-informed programs and policies that support farmers’ access to information and financial resources can contribute to more resilient and sustainable agri-food systems and more just rural futures.
—Sasha Pesci
Sneak into her work at www.sashapesci.com
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