Improving Consumer Participation in Local Food Markets: a Case Study of Oklahoma Farmers Markets

Abstract

The study included central Oklahoma Farmers' Market producers and consumers. Producer and consumer surveys were used. This thesis discusses consumer and producer perceptions and actions surrounding locally produced food in central Oklahoma Farmers' Markets. This study uses data that was collected from a survey of farmers' market consumers and producers in central Oklahoma during the summer of 2010. This thesis is composed of three sections. The first essay discusses farmers' market consumer and producer descriptive statistics. The highly debated issue of producers accepting food assistance program payments in exchange for their products is also discussed. In this essay it was discovered that there are producers willing to accept food assistance programs, but do not know how to sign up to accept them. The second essay examines consumers and producer perceptions of farmers' market products compared to those sold in the grocery stores. The findings suggest that a high majority of producers and consumers rank freshness and quality of farmers' market products superior to the same products offered in the grocery stores. On the other hand, most producers and consumers rank farmers' market products to be higher priced than the same products offered in the grocery stores. The third essay discusses consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for tomatoes and producer demographic perceptions of farmers' market consumers. Results show that farmers' market consumers have a WTP for the attributes of food safety, locally grown, high nutrition, and organic in tomatoes. Results also show that producers accurately predicted their consumers' demographics.