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Growing pains in local food systems: a longitudinal social network analysis on local food marketing in Baltimore County, Maryland and Chester County, Pennsylvania

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  • Catherine Brinkley

    (University of California)

  • Gwyneth M. Manser

    (University of California)

  • Sasha Pesci

    (University of California)

Abstract

Local food systems are growing, and little is known about how the constellation of farms and markets change over time. We trace the evolution of two local food systems (Baltimore County, Maryland and Chester County, Pennsylvania) over six years, including a dataset of over 2690 market connections (edges) between 1520 locations (nodes). Longitudinal social network analysis reveals how the architecture, actor network centrality, magnitude, and spatiality of these supply chains shifted during the 2012–2018 time period. Our findings demonstrate that, despite growth in the number of farmers’ markets, grocery stores, farms and restaurants in both counties, each local food system also experienced high turnover rates. Over 80% of the market connections changed during the study period. Farms, farmers’ markets, and grocery stores showed a 40–50% ‘survival’ rate, indicating their role in sustaining local food systems over longer time periods. Other actors, such as restaurants, had a much higher turnover rate within the network. Both food systems became more close-knit and consolidated as the center of gravity for both local food systems pulled away from urban areas toward rural farmland. Evidence of both growth and decay within local food systems provides a new understanding of the social networks behind local food markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine Brinkley & Gwyneth M. Manser & Sasha Pesci, 2021. "Growing pains in local food systems: a longitudinal social network analysis on local food marketing in Baltimore County, Maryland and Chester County, Pennsylvania," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(4), pages 911-927, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:38:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10199-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10199-w
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ana Isabel Bento & Carla Cruz & Gabriela Fernandes & Luís Miguel D. F. Ferreira, 2024. "Social Network Analysis: Applications and New Metrics for Supply Chain Management—A Literature Review," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-20, February.
    3. William Lacy, 2023. "Local food systems, citizen and public science, empowered communities, and democracy: hopes deserving to live," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Jordana Fuchs-Chesney & Subhashni Raj & Tishtar Daruwalla & Catherine Brinkley, 2023. "All roads lead to the farmers market?: using network analysis to measure the orientation and central actors in a community food system through a case comparison of Yolo and Sacramento County, Californ," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 157-173, March.
    5. Gaitán-Cremaschi, Daniel & Klerkx, Laurens & Aguilar-Gallegos, Norman & Duncan, Jessica & Pizzolón, Alejandro & Dogliotti, Santiago & Rossing, Walter A.H., 2022. "Public food procurement from family farming: A food system and social network perspective," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    6. Alexander J. Stein & Fabien Santini, 2022. "The sustainability of “local” food: a review for policy-makers," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 77-89, March.

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