IMPACT ON PRODUCER NETWORKS

A majority of respondents reported that the pandemic impacted the way they work and/

or interact with other producers (64.5%) and other members of their community (80.7%).

More specifically, producers explained that, while they see their colleagues in person far less frequently due to health and safety concerns (many have turned to Zoom), there have been new and growing collaborations with other producers. This has involved working with fellow producers to collectively meet the demands of shifting markets by aggregating products for sale on the market, selling products through one another’s market channels, purchasing other farms’ products at retail price, as well as coordinating and sharing labor, PPE, and markets. For some, this increased their sense of community with friends and neighbors. As one respondent noted, “amongst vegetable growers there is more cross-talk about collaboration, education, and the long-term imperative of reducing dependence on [centralized]/ industrialized supply chains.”

Meanwhile, producer relationships with other members of their community, such as customers, consumers, and service providers, changed in similar ways. Namely, respondents reported an increase in demand for local food and charitable connections. As one respondent explained, it ‘has been an opportunity to build new relationships [with] the community, in providing safe food access.” While some producers have reduced their inperson interactions at the market, with service providers, and on-farm events such as volunteer workdays and workshops, others reported that interactions remained constant or increased, perhaps due to new business demands.

As noted above, respondent sentiment toward these changes varied slightly when considering who these changes impacted. 36.8% of respondents characterize these changes with other producers as negative, while 31.6% feel they are neutral. 18.4% feel they have been positive, and 13.2% report that there has been no change. With customers, a greater percentage of respondents (47.4%)

NEGATIVE NEUTRAL POSITIVE NO EFFECT

37

32

18

13 47

26

21

5 51

% RESPONDENTS

62

32

5 11 24

8 6

Other Producers Customers Service Providers

Other Community Members

IMPACT ON PRODUCER WORKFLOW

characterized these changes as negative, followed by 26.3% as neutral, 21% as positive, and 5.3% as no change. Most respondents felt that recent changes in their relationships with service providers and extension agents have been negative (51.4%), 32.4% felt that they have been overall neutral, 5.4% believed they have been positive, and 10.8% saw no change. Finally, 61.8% respondents felt that their relationships with other community members have been negatively impacted, followed by 23.5% who believed they have been neutral, 8.8% who say they are positive, and 5.9% who saw no change.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Increase funding and opportunities for Schools and Charities to continue purchasing local food at a fair and just price, to grow local food supply chains.

• Support farmer collaborations and networking efforts that build more robust CSAs and direct markets as well as support labor sharing efforts.

• Support farmer access to mental and emotional health services and improve rural producer internet access.

• Support producer access to adequate PPE.