Examining the Influence of Farmers’ Market Managers Perceived Roles on Business Opportunities for Small- and Moderate-size Farms and Access to Healthful Foods for Low-income Households

2013 Annual Report for GS13-124

Project Type: Graduate Student
Funds awarded in 2013: $6,479.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2014
Grant Recipient: East Tennessee State University
Region: Southern
State: Tennessee
Graduate Student:
Major Professor:
Dr. Deborah Slawson
East Tennessee State University

Examining the Influence of Farmers’ Market Managers Perceived Roles on Business Opportunities for Small- and Moderate-size Farms and Access to Healthful Foods for Low-income Households

Summary

The purpose of this project is to evaluate how farmers’ market managers’ (managers) perceptions of their roles influence 1) business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and 2) access to healthful food for low-income households. The specific aims of this study follow.

 

 

 

Aim 1: Examine associations between managers’ perceptions of being facilitators of business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and farmers’ market vendor recruitment, sales, and customer counts.

 

 

 

Aim 2: Examine associations between managers’ perceptions of being promoters of healthful foods and farmers’ market Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer (SNAP/EBT) availability and participation.

 

 

 

Results from this project will inform 1) farmers’ market leadership development that maximizes the goals of facilitating business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and access to healthful foods to low-income households, and 2) how agencies supporting farmers’ markets (i.e. the United States Department of Agriculture, local/regional farmers’ market associations) could develop leadership programs to expand the capacity of farmers’ markets to accomplish these two goals.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objective 1 The first objective of this project is to develop survey items assessing North Carolina’s market managers’ perceptions of their roles in facilitating business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and access to healthful food for low-income households. It was determined that focus groups and interviews would be the most effective methods for gathering this formative data. Originally, the proposed sample size was ‘5’ managers and ‘5’ farmers. However, the investigator’s doctoral dissertation committee recommended increasing the sample size to ‘8’ farmers’ market managers and ‘8’ farmers to ensure data saturation.

 

Using results from the focus group and literature reviews, we will then develop a comprehensive survey assessing market managers’ perceived roles, and indicators of their farmers’ markets’ success at facilitating business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms (i.e., vendor recruitment, sales, and customer count), and accessibility for low-income households (i.e., SNAP/EBT availability and participation).

 

Objective 2:  Once the qualitative data is analyzed, we will administer the surveys to all farmers’ market managers identified through the North Carolina Community Transformation Grant Project.

 

Objectives 3 & 4: Results from the surveys will be used to 1) examine associations between managers’ perceptions of being facilitators of business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and indicators of these goals reported by the managers (i.e., market vendor recruitment, types of vendors at the market, product sales, and customer counts) (Objective 3) and 2) associations between their perceptions of being promoters of healthful foods and acceptance of participation in SNAP/EBT (Objective 4).

Accomplishments/Milestones

The following elements were accomplished in the 2013 calendar year:

 

 

    1.      An expanded version of the grant was proposed and successfully defended as a dissertation project in October 2013.

 

    1.      The University’s Institutional Review Board granted approval for the qualitative data collection component of this project; and

 

    1.      Through collaboration with the North Carolina CTG-P team, an updated, comprehensive list of farmers’ market managers in North Carolina and their contact information was compiled in preparation for survey distribution. 

 

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

It is expected that results from this project will inform 1) farmers’ market leadership development that maximizes the goals of facilitating business opportunities for small- and moderate-size farms and access to healthful foods to low-income households, and 2) how agencies supporting farmers’ markets (i.e. the United States Department of Agriculture, local/regional farmers’ market associations) could develop leadership programs to expand the capacity of farmers’ markets to accomplish these two goals.