Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T04:52:24.247Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Short food supply chains, labor productivity and fair earnings: an impossible equation?

Part of: RAF Social Disadvantage Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2019

Patrick Mundler Open the ORCID record for Patrick Mundler [Opens in a new window]  and
Jennifer Jean-Gagnon
Patrick Mundler*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Department of Agri-Food Economics and Consumer Sciences, Laval University, Pavillon Paul-Comtois, local 4423, 2425, rue de l'Agriculture, QuebecG1V 0A6, Canada
Jennifer Jean-Gagnon
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Department of Agri-Food Economics and Consumer Sciences, Laval University, Pavillon Paul-Comtois, local 4423, 2425, rue de l'Agriculture, QuebecG1V 0A6, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: Patrick Mundler, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Given the limited number of middlemen in short food supply chains, producers marketing through such channels must carry out various tasks associated with production, processing (if applicable) and marketing. Since productivity increases with specialization, it is presumably difficult for such producers to achieve high levels of labor productivity in each of the tasks they perform (in terms of organizing the work and controlling for costs). This study reports on the results of a detailed analysis of the apparent labor productivity in each activity segment (production, processing and distribution) on farms in Quebec (Canada) that market through short food supply chains. We adapted the concept of a complex activity system and the Work Assessment method to reflect the context in Quebec and the unique features of integrated farming models based on direct marketing. In total, we analyzed work organization on 32 Quebec farms to determine how added value and work hours are allocated among different activity segments. Our analysis of apparent labor productivity highlights the heterogeneity of farms involved in direct marketing as every farm studied had a unique profile. In addition, work patterns reflected the background, choices and skillsets of farmers and different combinations of production factors were utilized. Overall, labor productivity was lower in production-related tasks, although this was often offset by higher productivity levels in other activity segments. Our results indicate that greater productivity in the areas of processing or distribution allows farms in short food supply chains to be financially sustainable. The findings of our study also confirm that farmers involved in direct marketing work hard to sustain their activity systems, even though net earnings are often low when compared to the amount of effort involved. However, farmers are partially compensated in other ways, such as through client appreciation and work enjoyment.

Keywords

Apparent labor productivitydirect marketingorganization of workshort food supply chainsWork Assessment method
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 35 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 697 - 709
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, JE IV, Rossi, J, Woods, TA and Davis, AF (2016) Do community supported agriculture programmes encourage change to food lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes? New evidence from shareholders. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 15, 70–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aprile, MC, Caputo, V and Nayga, RM Jr (2016) Consumers’ preferences and attitudes toward local food products. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 22, 19–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aubert, M (2013) Déterminants de la commercialisation en circuit court: quels exploitants, sur quelles exploitations?. 7èmes Journées de Recherches en Sciences Sociales SFER-INRA, Angers. Retrieved from https://www.sfer.asso.fr/source/jrss2013/jrss2013_a1_aubert.pdf.Google Scholar
Aubron, C, Cochet, H, Brunschwig, G and Moulin, C-H (2009) Labour and its productivity in Andean dairy farming systems: a comparative approach. Human Ecology 37, 407–419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aubry, C, Bressoud, F and Petit, C (2011) Les circuits courts en agriculture revisitent-ils l'organisation du travail dans l'exploitation? In Béguin, P, Dedieu, B and Sabourin, E (eds), Le travail en agriculture son organisation et ses valeurs face à l'innovation Paris: L'Harmattan, pp. 19–35.Google Scholar
Barbieri, C and Mahoney, E (2009) Why is diversification an attractive farm adjustment strategy? Insights from Texas farmers and ranchers. Journal of Rural Studies 25, 58–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Béguin, P, Dedieu, B and Sabourin, E (2011) Le travail en agriculture son organisation et ses valeurs face à l'innovation. Paris: L'Harmattan.Google Scholar
Bianchi, C and Mortimer, G (2015) Drivers of local food consumption: a comparative study. British Food Journal 117, 2282–2299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biewener, C (2016) Paid work, unpaid work, and economic viability in alternative food initiatives: reflections from three Boston urban agriculture endeavors. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 6, 35–53.Google Scholar
Blouin, C, Lemay, J-F, Ashraf, K, Imai, J and Konforti, L (2009) Local food systems and public policy: a review of the literature. Équiterre and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law.Google Scholar
Bruce, AB and Som Castellano, RL (2017) Labour and alternative food networks: challenges for farmers and consumers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 32, 403–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capt, D and Wavresky, P (2011) Vers un développement des circuits courts dans le domaine alimentaire en France? Importance, localisation et caractéristiques des producteurs. Paper Presented at the 5e JRSS, INRA-SFER-CIRAD, Dijon, France.Google Scholar
Coley, D, Howard, M and Winter, M (2009) Local food, food miles and carbon emissions: a comparison of farm shop and mass distribution approaches. Food Policy 34, 150–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colombani-Lachapelle, G and Pouliot, K (2012) État de situation sur les circuits courts. Paper presented at the Colloque national sur les circuits courts, Drummondville, Québec.Google Scholar
Conner, D, King, B, Kolodinsky, J, Roche, E, Koliba, C and Trubek, A (2012) You can know your school and feed it too: Vermont farmers’ motivations and distribution practices in direct sales to school food services. Agriculture and Human Values 29, 321–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooley, JP and Lass, DA (1998) Consumer benefits from community supported agriculture membership. Review of Agricultural Economics 20, 227–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cournut, S and Chauvat, S (2010) Work organisation in livestock farms and farm liveability: Research findings from France. In 9th European IFSA Symposium. Retrieved from http://ifsa.boku.ac.at/cms/fileadmin/Proceeding2010/2010_WS2.3_Cournut.pdf.Google Scholar
Darduin, H, Delanoë, M, Nicourt, C and Cabaret, J (2012) Le travail d’élevage au risque de la vente en circuits courts. Paper presented at the Société française d’économie rurale.Google Scholar
Dedieu, B, Coulomb, S, Servière, G and Tchakérian, E (1993) Bilan Travail pour l’étude du fonctionnement des exploitations d’élevage. Paris, France: Institut de l'Elevage.Google Scholar
Dedieu, B, Laurent, C and Mundler, P (1999) Organisation du travail dans les systèmes d'activité complexes: intérêts et limites de la méthode Bilan Travail. Économie rurale 253, 28–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaher, E and Lynes, J (2017) Is local produce more expensive? Challenging perceptions of price in local food systems. Local Environment 22, 746–763.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donham, KJ and Larabee, B (2009) The changing face of agricultural health and safety–alternative agriculture. Journal of Agromedicine 14, 70–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dufour, A, Hérault-Fournier, C, Lanciano, É and Pennec, N (2010) L'herbe est-elle plus verte dans le panier? Satisfaction au travail et intégration professionnelle de maraîchers qui commercialisent sous forme de paniers. In Traversac, J-B (ed.), Circuits courts: contribution au développement régional. Dijon, France: Educagri, pp. 71–85.Google Scholar
Dumont, AM and Baret, PV (2017) Why working conditions are a key issue of sustainability in agriculture? A comparison between agroecological, organic and conventional vegetable systems. Journal of Rural Studies 56, 53–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Équiterre (2006). 4 modèles économiques viables et enviables d'ASC, 29 p. Retrieved from https://equiterre.org/publication/quatre-modeles-economiques-viables-et-enviables-dasc-2006.Google Scholar
Feagan, R and Henderson, A (2009) Devon acres CSA: local struggles in a global food system. Agriculture and Human Values 26, 203–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feenstra, GW, Lewis, CC, Hinrichs, CC, Gillespie, GW and Hilchey, D (2003) Entrepreneurial outcomes and enterprise size in US retail farmers’ markets. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18, 46–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galt, RE (2013) The moral economy is a doubled-edged sword: explaining farmers’ earnings and self-exploitation in community-supported agriculture. Economic Geography 89, 341–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galt, RE, Bradley, K, Christensen, L, Van Soelen Kim, J and Lobo, R (2016) Eroding the community in community supported agriculture (CSA): competition's effects in alternative food networks in California. Sociologia Ruralis 56, 491–512.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gasselin, P, Vaillant, M and Bathfield, B (2012) The activity system: a position paper. Paper Presented at the 10th European IFSA Symposium ‘Producing and reproducing farming systems: New modes of organisation for the sustainable food systems of tomorrow’, Aarhus University, Denmark.Google Scholar
Gervais, C, Gouin, D-M and Parent, D (2009) De l'agriculteur à temps partiel au ménage pluriactif : Analyse typologique de la pluriactivité agricole au Québec. Revue canadienne des sciences régionales 32, 223–240.Google Scholar
Govindasamy, R, Hossain, F and Adelaja, A (1999) Income of farmers who use direct marketing. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 28, 76–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guthman, J (2004) Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Hinrichs, CC (2000) Embeddedness and local food systems: notes on two types of direct agricultural market. Journal of Rural Studies 16, 295–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hostiou, N (2013) Work flexibility of organic suckler sheep farms in France. Organic Agriculture 3, 111–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hostiou, N and Dedieu, B (2012) A method for assessing work productivity and flexibility in livestock farms. Animal: An International Journal of Animal Bioscience 6, 852–862.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hostiou, N, Cialdella, N, Vazquez, V, Müller, AG and Le Gal, PY (2015) Work organization on smallholder dairy farms: a process unique to each farm. Tropical Animal Health and Production 47, 1271–1278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hvitsand, C (2016) Community supported agriculture (CSA) as a transformational act—distinct values and multiple motivations among farmers and consumers. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 40, 333–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ilbery, B and Kneafsey, M (1999) Niche markets and regional speciality food products in Europe: towards a research agenda. Environment and Planning A 31, 2207–2222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IPES-Food (2017) Too big to feed: Exploring the impacts of mega-mergers, concentration, concentration of power in the agri-food sector. Retrieved from http://www.ipes-food.org/images/Reports/Concentration_FullReport.pdf.Google Scholar
Jarosz, L (2008) The city in the country: growing alternative food networks in Metropolitan areas. Journal of Rural Studies 24, 231–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jean-Gagnon, J (2016) Conditions de viabilité des exploitations agricoles engagées dans les circuits courts au Québec (Agricultural Economics Master's Thesis). Laval University, Quebec.Google Scholar
Kloppenburg, J, Hendrickson, J and Stevenson, GW (1996) Coming in to the foodshed. Agriculture and Human Values 13, 33–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kneafsey, M, Venn, L, Schmutz, U, Balázs, B, Trenchard, L, Eyden-Wood, T, Bos, E, Sutton, G and Blackett, M (2013) Short Food Supply Chains and Local Food Systems in the EU. A State of Play of their Socio-Economic Characteristics. Luxembourg: European Commission.Google Scholar
La Trobe, H (2002) Local Food, Future Directions. London: Friends of the Earth.Google Scholar
Laurent, C, Cartier, S, Fabre, C, Mundler, P, Ponchelet, D and Rémy, J (1998) L'activité agricole des ménages ruraux et la cohésion économique et sociale. Économie rurale 244, 12–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurent, C, Blanchemanche, S, Hassani, F and Mundler, P (2000) Une nouvelle économie du temps pour les ménages agricoles. INRA. Actes du Symposium de Montpellier, pp. 227–241.Google Scholar
Lemay, J.F, Boulianne, M, Boursiquot, F and Galarneau, V (2012) Mangez frais, mangez près. Quels circuits courts pour quels producteurs maraîchers? Montreal: Équiterre.Google Scholar
LeRoux, MN, Schmit, TM, Roth, M and Streeter, DH (2010) Evaluating marketing channel options for small-scale fruit and vegetable producers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 25, 16–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Velly, R and Dufeu, I (2016) Alternative food networks as ‘market agencements’: exploring their multiple hybridities. Journal of Rural Studies 43, 173–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levins, RA (2000) Willard Cochrane and the American Family Farm. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.Google Scholar
Lyson, TA (2004) Civic Agriculture. Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community. Massachusetts: Tufts University Press.Google Scholar
Macombe, C (2006) Work: a necessary sacrifice or a suffered chore? Labour and farm continuity in alternative agriculture in France. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22, 282–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Madelrieux, S and Dedieu, B (2008) Qualification and assessment of work organisation in livestock farms. Animal: An International Journal of Animal Bioscience 2, 435–446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MAPAQ (Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec) (2015) Monographie de l'industrie de la pomme au Québec. Gouvernement du Québec. Retrieved from https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/pommemonographie.pdfGoogle Scholar
MAPAQ (Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec) (2019) Portrait-diagnostic sectoriel de l'industrie ovine au Québec. Gouvernement du Québec. Retrieved from https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/MonographieovineWEB.pdfGoogle Scholar
Martel, G, Dourmad, JY and Dedieu, B (2008) Do labour productivity and preferences about work load distribution affect reproduction management and performance in pig farms. Livestock Science 116, 96–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, S, Hand, M, Da Pra, M, Pollack, S, Ralston, K, Smith, T, Vogel, S, Clark, S, Lohr, L, Low, S and Newman, C (2010) Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues. Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.Google Scholar
Maye, D, Holloway, L and Kneafsey, M (eds) (2007) Alternative Food Geographies. Representation and Practice. Bingley: Emerald Publishing.Google Scholar
Megicks, P, Memery, J and Angell, RJ (2012) Understanding local food shopping: unpacking the ethical dimension. Journal of Marketing Management 28, 264–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mundler, P and Laughrea, S (2016) The contributions of short food supply chains to territorial development: a study of three Quebec territories. Journal of Rural Studies 45, 218–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mundler, P and Rumpus, L (2012) The energy efficiency of local food systems: a comparison between different modes of distribution. Food Policy 37, 609–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, M (2019) Community-supported agriculture in the United States: social, ecological, and economic benefits to farming. Journal of Agrarian Change 19, 162–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perez, J, Allen, P and Brown, M (2003) Community Supported Agriculture on the Central Coast: The CSA Member Experience. Santa Cruz: Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California.Google Scholar
Petit, C, Bressoud, F and Aubry, C (2010) The effects of transition towards short supply chains on liveability of farming systems: initial findings and further research needs. Paper Presented at the 9th European IFSA Symposium, Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Prigent-Simonin, AH, Hérault-Fournier, C and Merle, A (2012) Développer la proximité. In Prigent-Simonin, AH and Hérault-Fournier, C (eds), Au plus près de l'assiette: pérenniser les circuits courts alimentaires. Versailles: Éditions Quae, pp. 48–62.Google Scholar
Richard, F, Chevallier, M, Dellier, J and Lagarde, V (2014) Circuits courts agroalimentaires de proximité en Limousin: performance économique et processus de gentrification rurale. Norois 230, 21–39.Google Scholar
Saltmarsh, N, Meldrum, J and Longhurst, N (2011) The Impact of Community Supported Agriculture. UK: Soil Association. retrieved from https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/The-impact-of-community-supported-agriculture.pdfGoogle Scholar
Schlich, E and Fleissner, U (2005) The ecology of scale: assessment of regional energy turnover and comparison with global food. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 10, 219–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sonnino, R and Marsden, T (2006) Beyond the divide: rethinking relationships between alternative and conventional food networks in Europe. Journal of Economic Geography 6, 181–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sraïri, MT and Ghabiyel, Y (2017) Coping with the work constraints in crop-livestock farming systems. Annals of Agricultural Sciences 62, 23–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics Canada (2016) Direct Marketing in Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2017015-eng.htm.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture (2011) Retrieved from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/about/pia/cen-ag2011.Google Scholar
Tegtmeier, E and Duffy, M (2005) Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States: A Regional Characterization. Iowa: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.Google Scholar
Tregear, A and Ness, M (2005) Discriminant analysis of consumer interest in buying locally produced foods. Journal of Marketing Management 21, 19–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uematsu, H and Mishra, AK (2011) Use of direct marketing strategies by farmers and their impact on farm business income. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 40, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watts, DCH, Ilbery, B and Maye, D (2005) Making re-connections in agro-food geography: alternative systems of food provision. Progress in Human Geography 29, 22–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiler, AM, Otero, G and Wittman, H (2016) Rock stars and bad apples: moral economies of alternative food networks and precarious farm work regimes. Antipode 48, 1140–1162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winter, M (2003) Embeddedness, the new food economy and defensive localism. Journal of Rural Studies 19, 23–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiskerke, JSC and van der Ploeg, JD (eds) (2004) Seeds of Transition: Essays on Novelty Production, Niches and Regimes in Agriculture. Assen, Netherlands: Royal van Gorcum.Google Scholar
Yorn, C, Bachant, N, Puskas, G and Bisson, M (2012) Mangez frais mangez près: Analyse transversale sur les circuits courts et les saines habitudes de vie au Québec. Montreal: Equiterre.Google Scholar