Marketing Systems Approach to Removing Distribution Barriers Confronting Small Volume Fruit/Vegetable Growers

Expansion by $mall produce growers and related marketing channel activities have the potential for increasing on-farm income and creatingjobs in the food distribution system through the elimination of the access barriers to alternativemarketing channel outlets. The approach entails comparisonsof successful andless successfulmarketdevelopmentandexpansion efforts.Marketing channels, site location and market development studies have been complcte~ but sometimes the implementation of recommendations has been inconsistent or illoaical. Particular attention will be jivcn to the physical. personnel, andpublic/private interrelationshipsassociated with mar!{etaccess opportunities. Information will be site and produce commodity specific in order to provide results that can be used in a variety of settings within the study area and within other parts of the countTy. Not only is the focus of the project unique, the team doing the work is designed specifically to draw upon people who can provide the expertise, practical insights, and contacts to complete the objectives. Just as important, these people arc in positions that can help to implement marlcet expansion. Four states will be involved in the project (Georgia, Kentucky,North Carolina, and Tennessee), They are contiguous and have fairly comparable growing conditions. Two have been successful and two have lagged behind in the development and expansion of produce marketing channels. A comprehensive analysis of the evolution of these chonnels in each state will be conducted.It will drawupon the exi$tin~lmowledaebase. But someof the extant literature is dated, and none has incorporated the relationships among sites) management, and regional and state coordination, Specific objectives include gathering relevant information via grower surveys in each state and interviews with key participants involved in produce marketing (described below) in the four states. Subsequent analyses and interpretations will be used to create recommendations for matket development. Findings will be presented to stakeholders in each state. Results will also be incorporated into the educational programs ofilie four states' Extension programs and classroom teaching activities,