Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Spatial Considerations For Implementing Two Direct-To-Consumer Food Models In Two States, Marilyn Sitaker, Jared T. Mcguirt, Weiwei Wang, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

To open new markets, some farmers have adapted direct-to-consumer (DTC) models, such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), to reach new settings or audiences. We compared sociodemographic and geospatial contexts to farmers' experience with one of two DTC innovations: a cost-offset CSA for low-income families and food boxes distributed through rural convenience stores. We geocoded addresses of thirteen farms and DTC pickup sites in two U.S. states (Vermont and Washington) and calculated road network distances from pickup to supermarket, farmers' market, and farm. We compiled Census block-level demographic and transportation data, and compared it to postseason interviews to explore the effect …