Mengoni, Ma eo; Ma esco i, And ea; Belle i, Gio anni
A icle
Fa me s' ma ke s as a sus ainable model o p oduce s-
consume s ela ionships: E idence om Tuscany
I alian Re iew o Ag icul u al Economics (REA)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Fi enze Uni e si y P ess
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Mengoni, Ma eo; Ma esco i, And ea; Belle i, Gio anni (2024) : Fa me s'
ma ke s as a sus ainable model o p oduce s-consume s ela ionships: E idence om Tuscany,
I alian Re iew o Ag icul u al Economics (REA), ISSN 2281-1559, Fi enze Uni e si y P ess, Flo ence,
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REA ITALIAN REVIEW
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Ci a ion: Mengoni, M., Ma esco i, A.,
& Belle i, G. (2024). Fa me s’ ma ke s as
a sus ainable model o p oduce s-con-
sume s ela ionships: e idence om
Tuscany. I alian Re iew o Ag icul u al
Economics 79(1): 47-62. DOI: 10.36253/
ea-14895
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Re ised: Feb ua y 04, 2024
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ORCID
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AM: 0000-0001-9891-2857
GB: 0000-0002-0347-4274
Ag i ood sys em be ween global and e i o ial ision – Resea ch a icle
Fa me s’ ma ke s as a sus ainable model o
p oduce s-consume s ela ionships: e idence
om Tuscany
Ma eo Mengoni, And ea Ma esco i*, Gio anni Belle i
Depa men o Economics and Managemen , Uni e si y o Flo ence, I aly
*Co esponding au ho . E-mail: and ea.ma esco[email p o ec ed]
Abs ac . E idence om he li e a u e emphasize he ole o Fa me s’ Ma ke s (FMs)
in enhancing economic bene i s o bo h p oduce s and consume s, imp o ing social
ou comes and bene i ing he en i onmen . The e o e, FMs can be concei ed no jus as
an al e na i e o he ma ke , bu also as a speci ic way o shaping p oduce s-consum-
e s ela ionships, which in luences and is a he same ime he esul o hei espec i e
selling-buying models. This a icle aims a in es iga ing he hypo hesis o FMs as a spe-
ci ic and s uc u al o m o p oduce s-consume s ela ionships, and collec ing e idence
on hei pe cep ions, mo i a ions and beha iou a he ma ke s, and on he impac o
selling and pu chasing a hese FMs on sus ainabili y dimensions. Fo his pu pose, we
selec ed a sample o FMs in he no h o Tuscany (I aly) and submi ed wo in-pe son
semi-s uc u ed ques ionnai es, o bo h p oduce s and consume s. The me hodology
was based on ac o s’ sel -assessmen suppo ed by guiding in e iewe s. Resul s showed
how p oduce s and consume s pa icipa ing in FMs, al hough wi h di e ences ac oss
FMs ypes, do no only ac i a e ma ke ela ionships, bu sha e, lea n and build alues
oge he . Indeed, FMs a e pe cei ed by he ac o s in ol ed as a s uc u al and al e na-
i e amewo k, gi ing space and shaping al e na i e p oduce s-consume s connec ions.
Keywo ds: a me s’ ma ke s, sho ood supply chains, al e na i e ood ne wo ks, sus-
ainabili y, p oximi y economy.
JEL codes: Q12, Q13.
HIGHLIGHTS
– FMs a e widesp ead in Tuscany, di e ing in e ms o p omo e s, deg ee
o ac o s’ in ol emen , go e nance and unc ioning.
– In each FM, p oduce s and consume s c ea e hei own o ganisa ional
space, e lec ing he cha ac e is ics o he p oduc s hey exchange, hei
idea o ag i ood sys ems, and he ela ional model ha be e sui s hei
alues.
– FMs cons i u e an inno a i e and al e na i e economic and social space,
s uc u ing p oduce s-consume s ela ions and shaping hei selling and
buying models.
48 Ma eo Mengoni, And ea Ma esco i, Gio anni Belle i
1. INTRODUCTION
O e he las ew decades, he ag i- ood sys em has
unde gone apid and deep changes, cha ac e ized by a
s ong end owa d globaliza ion, p i a iza ion and e -
ical coo dina ion (Swinnen and Mae ens, 2007; Hen-
d ickson and He e nan, 2002). These shi s ha e esul ed
om a ious demog aphics, poli ical, social, echnical,
economic and cul u al ac o s, culmina ing in he eme -
gence o an indus ialized model o ood p oduc ion and
dis ibu ion. In his model, la ge-scale ood p ocessing
companies and supe ma ke chains ha e come o domi-
na e a p og essi ely globalized ood sys em.
Simul aneously, shi s in consume s’ beha iou s and
needs ha e been d i en by socie al and economic ans-
o ma ion. The decline o he economic impo ance o
ag icul u e in u al a eas, coupled wi h u baniza ion,
has led o he geog aphical sepa a ion o ag icul u al
p oduc ion om consump ion cen es. This geog aphi-
cal gap needs a complex ne wo k o physical ( anspo ,
s o age, packaging, p ocessing), digi al (e-comme ce
pla o ms, websi es, online s o es) and in o ma ional
connec ions acili a ed by di e se s akeholde s. Mo eo-
e , income g ow h, changes in wo k o ganisa ion and
shi s in amily s uc u e ha e heigh ened he demand
o addi ional se ices in he ood pu chasing p ocess,
educing consume s di ec engagemen wi h a ming
ac i i ies. These changes in he ag i- ood sys em ha e
p esen ed an oppo uni y o make a wide ange o ood
p oduc s a ailable globally, he eby enhancing ood
secu i y and sa e y, and imp o ing nu i ional, echno-
logical and senso y a ibu es o ood.
A he same ime, he ise o global ood chains has
aised conce ns, no ably ega ding ulne abili y. The
indus ialized ood p o isioning model has spa ked
g owing c i icisms ac oss mul iple dimensions. Econom-
ically, smallholde s and SMEs ace g owing challenges in
ma ke accessing due o he complexi y o adhe ing o
quali y s anda ds and he dominance o la ge indus ial
and dis ibu ion playe s, coupled wi h p ice comp ession
a he a m ga e and inc eased ma ke p ice ola ili y.
The g owing geog aphical, cul u al, in o ma ion
di ide be ween p oduc ion and consump ion, along wi h
he nega i e e ec s o ood sys em indus ializa ion on
equi y and ai ness, en i onmen al deg ada ion and he
loss o social ela ions, ha e spu ed enewed empha-
sis on sho ood supply chains (SFSCs). The inc easing
in e es in SFSCs wo ldwide, d i en by a me s, consum-
e s and ci izens, and in some cases, public au ho i ies,
unde sco es he need o al e na i e ood sys ems ha
can ul il some unc ions o e looked by he indus ial-
ized model. SFSCs aim o b idge he gap be ween ood
p oduc ion and consump ion, while suppo ing small
p oduce s in achie ing iable li elihoods and ib an
u al communi ies.
Indeed, SFSCs a e o en cha ac e ized as “al e na-
i e” (Goodman, DuPuis and Goodman, 2011) o “ci ic”
(Lamine, 2005) supply-chains, o e en “nes ed ma ke s”
(Van de Ploeg, Jingzhong and Schneide , 2012). They
ep esen a shi away om indus ialized ag icul u e
and ood p oduc ion mainly in de eloped coun ies, p i-
o i izing social and en i onmen al sus ainabili y o e
pu ely economic conside a ions. In essence, SFSCs can
be concep ualized as an al e na i e componen wi hin
he global ood sys em, wi h a ocus on ans o ming
he p inciple o p oduc ion and ma ke exchange. Thei
de elopmen spu ed a wide heo e ical deba e o e he
inno a i e cha ac e o such ini ia i es – hei “al e na-
i eness” – as well as wi h hei “ ans o ma i e” ole.
This ans o ma ion places emphasis on ai ness, solida -
i y and sus ainabili y.
The ecen Co id-19 pandemic has u he ein-
o ced he in e es in SFSCs. T a el es ic ions encou -
aged he sea ch o al e na i e ood supply me hods o
educe physical con ac s, while dis up ion in in e na-
ional ade p omp ed a e-e alua ion o locally p o-
duced oods. In his con ex , SFSCs and local p oduc-
ions ha e eme ged as a enues o inno a ions, combin-
ing social and echnological ad ancemen s (Belle i and
Ma esco i, 2020; Nemes e al., 2021; Hobbes, 2021), as
well as expe imen ing new o ms o go e nance and
ela ional connec ions.
This a icle aims a in es iga ing Fa me s’ Ma ke s
(FMs) as a special o m o p oduce s-consume s ela-
ionship which goes beyond he pu e economic sphe e o
ma ke exchange, shaping a new a ena whe e social ela-
ionships be ween p oduce s and consume s can de el-
op, and whe e ac o s’ pa icipa ions show di e en mo i-
a ions o he han economic p o i abili y, o emb ace a
whole se o economic, social and en i onmen al alues
(Manse , 2022), such as e i o ial p oximi y, commu-
ni y belonging, en i onmen al ca e, social ela ionships,
lea ning. In o he wo ds, as Smi he s e al. (2008: 338;
ci . in Manse , 2022) pu i , FMs a e impo an “as no
only a si e o exchange, bu also as a enue o nego i-
a ed meaning in he local ood landscape”. Analysing a
sample o Tuscan FMs belonging o h ee I alian FMs’
ne wo ks, his a icle ies o compa e mo e “ins i u ion-
al” FMs (Coldi e i and Cia) o mo e “al e na i e” ones
(Genuino Clandes ino), o see how h ough hei di e -
en go e nance s uc u es and unc ioning mechanisms
hey espond o di e en objec i es, ideas and alues
ha a e he exp ession o he ac o s in ol ed (p oduc-
e s and consume s). The ul ima e goal o his a icle is
49
Fa me s’ ma ke s as a sus ainable model o p oduce s-consume s ela ionships: e idence om Tuscany
o eed he deba e on FMs as al e na i e and inno a i e
ools, ailo ed o p oduce s and consume needs, mo i-
a ion and expec a ion, and con ibu ing o he ansi-
ion owa ds mo e sus ainable and esilien e i o ial
ood sys ems.
2. THE SUSTAINABILITY OF FARMERS’ MARKETS
FMs ha e been inc easingly sp eading in I aly since
he la e 1990s, as a way o a me s and small-medium
en e p ises o inc ease hei posi ion on he ma ke
and hei sha e o alue added, bypassing in e media -
ies, and o consume s o ge high quali y, esh and
heal hy ood om local sou ces. FMs exis unde a ious
o ms and can be ac i a ed and led by a a ie y o di -
e en s akeholde s (p oduce s, consume s, municipali-
ies, p o essionals’ o ganisa ions). The e o e, FMs can be
concei ed no jus an al e na i e ou e o ma ke o p o-
duce s and consume s o sa is y hei espec i e needs,
bu hey can cons i u e a speci ic o m o p oduce s-con-
sume s ela ionship, which in luences and is a he same
ime he esul o hei espec i e selling-buying models.
In o he e ms, FMs can ep esen a model o “p oximi y
economy” (Ma o a and Nazza o, 2023), whe e p oduc-
e s sell hei p oduc s o local ci izens, and consume s
a e in e es ed in buying p oduc s and se ices om hei
own e i o y, while exchanging and s eng hening ies
and alues ha can no longe be ound in con en ional
ma ke ing channels.
The sus ainabili y o FMs is a s ongly deba ed issue
in he academic a ena (Fo ssell and Lankoski, 2014;
Michel-Villa eal e al., 2019; Chi oleau and Dou ian,
2020), especially in compa ison wi h long con en ional
ood chains (B uno i e al., 2016; Galli e al., 2015), and
has gained inc easing poli ical a en ion in iew o he
bene icial ou comes hey a e likely o p o ide o he
economy, en i onmen and socie y as a whole (Vi e sø
e al., 2019).
2.1. The economic dimension
Many s udies sugges ha FMs can con ibu e o
u al de elopmen and economic egene a ion. FMs can
be new sou ces o alue added o e ain locally, s imu-
la ing u al economic egene a ion and dynamism
(Ma o a and Nazza o, 2023). They can c ea e “new eco-
nomic spaces” enhancing he local a ibu es such as e -
oi , adi ional knowledge and land ace species, which
can ansla e in o highe p ices (DuPuis and Goodman,
2005; Van de Ploeg e al., 2000; Ma sden e al., 2002).
Sho ening he numbe o links in he supply chain
esul s in a “mul iplie e ec ”, ha is inc eased local
sales, inc eased demand o local se ices and inc eased
labou ma ke s (O o and Va ne , 2005; Hennebe y
e al., 2009). Some s udies ha e also sugges ed ha he
p esence o FMs a ac s shoppe s in o a eas hey would
o he wise no isi and c ea es new oppo uni ies o
ou ism, he e enue om which ends o emain in he
local economy, igge ing i s mul iplie e ec s in he
local communi y (Le e al., 2003).
A indi idual le el, he mos epo ed economic ben-
e i associa ed wi h FMs is he inc ease in p oduce s’
incomes. Selling h ough FMs enables p oduce s, hanks
o he elimina ion o in e media ies (dis ibu o s, whole-
sale s, e c.), o u he p ocess and add alue hemsel es
o hei p oduce, which in u n allows hem o add a p ice
p emium on hese p oduc s and he eby cap u e a g ea e
sha e o he p o i s (Pea son e al., 2011; Sage, 2003).
The highe quali y and inc eased eshness o p od-
uc s usually obse ed in FMs, also inc eases he eco-
nomic alue o consume s, who can buy ood ha las s
longe and hus educe ood was e (Ma ino and Cica iel-
lo, 2012).
2.2. The social dimension
Among he posi i e e ec s o SFSCs on he h ee
pilla s o sus ainabili y, he social ones a e usually he
mos ci ed in he li e a u e (Dema ini e al., 2017).
Knea sey e al. (2013) iden i ied h ee main social a eas
o impac , namely (1) social in e ac ion, us and social
embeddedness, (2) sense o communi y, (3) knowledge
and beha iou al change.
Building ela ionships o us is c ucial in e e y
expe ience o FMs. The social dimension is one o he
mos highligh ed aspec s by consume s who a end FMs,
who o en g ea ly alue he a mosphe e o hei shop-
ping expe ience. Consume s end o become loyal cus-
ome s and o de elop con iden ial ela ionships wi h
selle s and p oduce s, so ha o e ime, he eeling o
us is no longe e e ed o he ood p oduc i sel bu
o he ac ha one can us he a me o p oduce his
ood in a “sa e” way, because he consume knows he
a me and holds him/he esponsible (Hend ickson and
He e nan, 2002; ci . in Knea sey e al., 2013).
Ano he impo an dimension in luenced by SFSCs
is wha Knea sey e al. (2013) call “sense o communi y”.
FMs ha e he po en ial o empowe and e i alise local
communi ies, inc ease wo k oppo uni ies o young
a me s and o people who would be excluded om
adi ional ag icul u e (women, pensione s, disabled)
and he e o e c ea e new employmen . They can succeed
in keeping u al communi ies in u al a eas and a oid
50 Ma eo Mengoni, And ea Ma esco i, Gio anni Belle i
hei dese i ica ion and isola ion, by c ea ing new o ms
o ela ionships be ween he ci y and he coun yside.
Mo eo e , SFSCs end o a ou coope a ion a all
le els and small p oduce s can bene i om wo king
wi h o he s (p oduce s, consume s and ins i u ions),
since his enables hem o each ma ke s hey would
o he wise no each h ough, o example, sha ed logis-
ics and deli e y ope a ions, sha ed labelling schemes,
sha ed publici y and p omo ional campaigns. This can
also a ou co-ope a ion owa ds inno a ion, h ough
he es ablishmen o ne wo ks o knowledge exchange,
skills aining and echnical ela ions among a me s
(Mas ona di e al., 2015; Vi e sø e al., 2019; Knea sey
e al., 2013; Mancini e al., 2019).
Looking a he mo e emo ional accep a ion o he
sense o communi y, SFSCs can con ibu e o s eng hen
cul u al and egional iden i ies, enhance social cohesion
and communi y building by ins illing a sense o p ide
and belonging o a pa icula a ea o social g oup (Vi -
e sø e al., 2019).
The hi d social dimension conce ns knowledge
leading o beha iou al change. Consume s a ending
SFSCs, h ough social ela ionships wi h p oduce s, sell-
e s and o he consume s, may lea n in o ma ion on how
he ood is p oduced, he me hods used and speci ic
o ganolep ic and e i o ial a ibu es, imp o ing hei
ood awa eness, culina y educa ion and sus ainable ood
choices. This makes i easie o consume s o e alua e
he ai ness o p ices and unde s and he ue cos and
ex e nali ies o ood p oduc ion (Malak-Rawlikowska e
al., 2019; Vi e sø e al., 2019; Mas ona di e al., 2015).
2.3. The en i onmen al dimension
The en i onmen al impac is he mo e unce ain
o he h ee sus ainabili y pilla s. In he li e a u e, he
mo e commonly epo ed e ec s ha FMs a e likely o
ha e on he en i onmen a e educ ion in ood miles
and ca bon oo p in , posi i e impac s on biodi e si y
and educ ion in he use o ag ochemicals on o ganic
a ms. No wi hs anding his, quan i a i e e idence on
hese e ec s is qui e a e, due o he di icul y in meas-
u ing en i onmen al e ec s and ex e nali ies o he di -
e en ypes o SFSCs.
FMs a e likely o ha e a posi i e impac on ag o-
biodi e si y since, wi h he necessi y o mee consume s’
demand o a ie y, usually me by supe ma ke s, hey eel
he need o di e si y p oduc ion ins ead o specialising in
one o wo c ops, o en edisco e ing ancien and adi ion-
al a ie ies o in oducing o ganic a ming (Bullock, 2000).
In FMs, a me s may also ha e he endency o adop
mo e sus ainable p ac ices o educe nega i e ex e nali-
ies o ag icul u e on he en i onmen , such as a oid-
ing he use o pes icides and ag ochemicals ( ypical in
o ganic p oduc ion), con as ing wa e pollu ion and land
deg ada ion, p o ec ing na u al habi a s, educing pack-
aging o p oduc s, con ibu ing o ood was e educ ion
h ough esh and high-quali y p oduc s, paying a en-
ion o animal wel a e (Ma ino and Cica iello, 2012).
FMs, being based on he close ela ionship be ween
p oduce s and consume s a a local le el, may con ibu e
o educe “ ood miles”, namely he dis ance ood a -
els o each consume s, and he e o e lowe he nega i e
ex e nali ies linked o ood anspo a ion such as CO2
emissions and ai pollu ion (DEFRA 2005; ci . in Mas-
ona di e al., 2015, and in Ma ino e al., 2013). Ne e -
heless, on his las poin , he e is a lack o ag eemen in
he li e a u e since consume s d i ing o and om he
local e ail place (ma ke , a m o pick-up poin ) o buy
small quan i ies o ood can be mo e “ca bon in ensi e”
pe kilo o p oduc compa ed o o dina y shopping (Vi -
e sø e al., 2019; Mancini e al., 2019).
3. DATA AND METHODS
Fa me s’ ma ke s in Tuscany ha e a long his o i-
cal adi ion, da ing back o he ea ly 1970s and o igi-
na ing om a me s’ sea ch o al e na i e ways o he
dominan de elopmen model o he indus ial ag i-
ood sys em. In ecen yea s, FMs ha e begun o a ac
he g owing in e es o consume s, bu also o public
ac o s, in pa icula egional and local adminis a ions,
who s a ed o pe cei e hei alue in local de elopmen
p ocesses and o ake di ec ac ion o hei p omo-
ion (B uno i e al., 2009). Nowadays, FMs a e s ill e y
widesp ead in he egion, a ying in e ms o ypes o
p omo e s (p o essional p oduce s’ o ganisa ions, con-
sume s’ associa ions, public ins i u ions, small a me s’
ne wo ks), deg ee o ac o s’ in ol emen , go e nance
and unc ioning.
This a icle aims o in es iga e Fa me s’ Ma ke s
(FMs) as a new a ena o social ela ionships be ween
p oduce s and consume s, whe e ac o s show di e -
en mo i a ions o he han economic p o i abili y ha
emb ace a whole se o economic, social and en i on-
men al alues.
Fo he pu pose o his s udy, we selec ed a sample
o 9 a me s ma ke s on he Flo ence-P a o-Pis oia plain
(in he no h o Tuscany, I aly, see Figu e 1) belonging
o h ee di e en ne wo ks: Coldi e i, Cia and Genuino
Clandes ino. Coldi e i (Con ede azione Nazionale Col-
i a o i Di e i) and Cia (Con ede azione I aliana Ag i-
col o i) a e he wo main I alian a me s’ unions, bo h
51
Fa me s’ ma ke s as a sus ainable model o p oduce s-consume s ela ionships: e idence om Tuscany
o ganising and managing a ne wo k o a me s’ ma -
ke s, espec i ely Campagna Amica FMs and La Spesa in
Campagna FMs. Genuino Clandes ino, ins ead, is a local
associa ion ga he ing small a me s campaigning o
ood so e eign y. While he wo a me s’ unions a e e y
ins i u ionalised o ganisa ions, he las one is a bo om-
up ne wo k o a me s, wi h a qui e s ong poli ical con-
no a ion and a mili an app oach o hemes such as ood
sel -de e mina ion and ood so e eign y. In ou sample
we selec ed 2 Cia FMs, 5 Coldi e i FMs and 2 Genu-
ino Clandes ino FMs (Table 1). All hese FMs a e ecen
ma ke s, c ea ed in he las 10-15 yea s by independen
a me s’ g oups (Genuino Clandes ino) o acco ding o
na ion-wide ini ia i es o he wo a me s’ unions (Col-
di e i and Cia). In hese FMs, depending on he egula-
ions o each single ma ke , p oduce s mos ly sell hei
own p oduc s, o hose p oduced by o he membe s o
hese ne wo ks. Mos o he p oduce s pa icipa ing in
hese FMs a e local o egional p oduce s, wi h a ew
excep ions o hose selling e y speci ic o adi ional
p oduc s om o he I alian egions.
Fo each selec ed ma ke , we conduc ed some in-
pe son in e iews, submi ing wo di e en ques ion-
nai es o a sample o 34 p oduce s and 181 consume s,
wi h he aim o collec ing e idence on hei pe cep ions,
mo i a ions and beha iou in he ma ke s, and on he
impac o selling/pu chasing in hese a me s ma ke s
on sus ainabili y dimensions. The wo samples we e
almos equally dis ibu ed among he 9 ma ke s, wi h
3-4 p oduce s and 20 consume s in e iewed o each
one. In e iews we e conduc ed in Ap il and May 2023.
The p oduce s’ sample con ains mos ly small amily
businesses loca ed in Tuscany, a ound he p o inces o
Flo ence, P a o, Pis oia and Lucca, wi h some excep ions
o non-Tuscan p oduce s selling pa icula kind o p od-
uc s such as Pa migiano Reggiano om Emilia-Romagna
(cen al I aly) and ci us ui om Basilica a (sou he n
I aly). Fo he majo i y, p oduce s sell ui and ege a-
bles, cheese and milk de i a i es, mea and cold cu s, and
oli e oil, which is a e y ypical and widesp ead p oduc
in Tuscany, la gely used in he culina y adi ion.
Consume s in he sample a e 61% emales (111 indi-
iduals) and 39% males (70 indi iduals), wi h an a e -
age age o 56 yea s old (min. 19, max. 90) and an a e age
amily size o 2.73 componen s.
The me hodology employed is based on ac o s’ sel -
assessmen suppo ed by a guiding in e iewe . The
ques ionnai e submi ed o p oduce s is di ided in o
wo main sec ions. The i s sec ion con ains open-ended
ques ions collec ing desc ip i e in o ma ion on he cha -
ac e is ics o esponden s’ businesses and hei pa ici-
pa ion in he speci ic FM (e.g., o ganisa ional a ange-
Figu e 1. Loca ion o he case s udy a ea: Flo ence-P a o-Pis oia plain, Tuscany, cen al I aly.
52 Ma eo Mengoni, And ea Ma esco i, Gio anni Belle i
men s, esou ces needed, mo i a ions and expec a ions,
di icul ies and u u e needs). The second sec ion con-
ains wo se s o s uc u ed ques ions, he i s se asking
p oduce s o e alua e (on a 5-poin Like scale, om
“no impo an ” o “ e y impo an ”) he impo ance
o a lis o se en c i e ia (income inc ease, income secu-
i y and s abili y, ai ness and social jus ice, suppo ing
he local communi y, consume s’ sa is ac ion, educ ion
o nega i e en i onmen al ex e nali ies, p ese a ion o
local esou ces) in he decision-making p ocess o hei
business, and he second se asking hem o assess (on a
5-poin Like scale, om “ e y nega i e” o “ e y posi-
i e”) he impac o he speci ic FM on a lis o 33 eco-
nomic (EC), social (S) and en i onmen al (EN) aspec s
(Table 2).
The ques ionnai e submi ed o consume s con ains
closed-ended ques ions dealing, in he i s pa , wi h
he gene al cha ac e is ics o consume s’ pa icipa ion in
he speci ic ma ke (e.g., equency o a endance, ypes
o p oduc s pu chased, a e age expendi u e). The second
pa o he ques ionnai e con ains some ques ions asking
consume s o exp ess (on a 3-poin s Like scale) hei
ag eemen wi h he pe cei ed impac o he FM on a
lis o consump ion a ibu es g ouped in o 3 ca ego ies
(consump ion expe ience and p ices (CE), quali y and
heal h (QH), localness and he en i onmen (LE)) and
wi h he ac o s pe cei ed as limi ing (LM) he access
and equency o pu chases a FMs (Table 3).
4. RESULTS
Resul s show ha bo h he p oduce s and consum-
e s in e iewed use a me s’ ma ke s in a s able and con-
inuous way, as hei main comme cial ou le . 76% o he
p oduce s in he sample also pa icipa e in o he FMs
han he one in which hey we e in e iewed, and 79%
o hem conside FMs as “ e y impo an ” in ela ion
o hei economic u no e (Figu e 2). Mo eo e , he
majo i y o p oduce s o e a qui e wide supply p oduc s
a he FM (Figu e 3), wi h 56% o p oduce s selling 3 o
mo e ca ego ies o p oduc s, 26% o hem 4 o mo e ca -
ego ies, and 15% 5 o mo e ca ego ies.
Looking a consume s (Figu e 4), 71% o he sam-
ple equen ly buy p oduc s a he FM whe e hey we e
in e iewed (50% o hem weekly and 21% a ew imes
a mon h), while 42% also equen ly buy p oduc s om
o he FMs. Mo eo e , he majo i y o consume s buy
a qui e a ied baske o p oduc s a he FM (Figu e 3),
wi h 80% o consume s buying 3 o mo e ca ego ies o
p oduc s, 56% o hem 4 o mo e ca ego ies, and 35%
5 o mo e, sugges ing a use o FMs o he usual ood
shopping.
P oduce s in he sample on a e age e alua ed social
and en i onmen al c i e ia (“suppo local commu-
ni y”, “consume s’ sa is ac ion”, “ educ ion o nega i e
en i onmen al ex e nali ies” and “p ese a ion o local
esou ces”) as signi ican ly mo e impo an in hei p o-
duc i e and ma ke ing decisions han economic c i e ia
(“income inc ease” and “income secu i y and s abili y”).
Howe e , some di e ences eme ged ac oss di e en FMs
ne wo ks (Figu e 5). Mos o he p oduce s om Genui-
no Clandes ino (91%) conside social and en i onmen al
decision-making c i e ia e y impo an and only 28%
o hem a ibu e impo ance o economic ones. Ins ead,
in Cia and especially Coldi e i ma ke s, e en i mos o
he p oduce s a ibu e a signi ican impo ance o social
and en i onmen al c i e ia, hey s ill also conside eco-
nomic c i e ia e y impo an (50% o p oduce s in Cia
and 90% in Coldi e i).
Conce ning sus ainabili y, p oduce s on a e age
e alua ed he impac s o FMs as posi i e on all he i ems
analysed in he h ee sus ainabili y dimensions bu , how-
e e , en i onmen al and social aspec s a e pe cei ed as
Table 1. S uc u e o he sample in ela ion o he ma ke cha ac e is ics.
Ma ke Ci y Ne wo k N° p oduce s N° consume s
Piazza Albe i Flo ence (FI) CIA 4 20
Pa e e Flo ence (FI) CIA 3 20
No oli Flo ence (FI) COLDIRETTI 3 20
Cascine Flo ence (FI) COLDIRETTI 4 20
Osmanno o Ses o Fio en ino (FI) COLDIRETTI 4 20
Sac a Famiglia P a o (PO) COLDIRETTI 4 21
Via dell’Annona Pis oia (PT) COLDIRETTI 5 20
Piazza Tasso Flo ence (FI) Genuino Clandes ino 4 20
Le Fo naci Pis oia (PT) Genuino Clandes ino 3 20
To al 34 181
53
Fa me s’ ma ke s as a sus ainable model o p oduce s-consume s ela ionships: e idence om Tuscany
mo e posi i ely in luenced by FMs han economic ones.
Looking ac oss he h ee di e en ne wo ks o FMs,
some in e es ing di e ences eme ge (Figu e 6). Genu-
ino Clandes ino p oduce s a e he mos c i ical p oduc-
e s, especially owa ds he impac on pu ely economic
aspec s (EC1-EC5, EC8, EC11), while hey pe cei e a
posi i e impac o he FM on economic esilience (EC14),
hanks o he possibili y o coping wi h di e en ma -
ke isks hough di e si ica ion (EC6), sale o p oduc s
un i (EC7) o mode n ma ke s (small de ec s, impe -
ec shape/size) isk and esou ces sha ing mechanisms
(EC9, EC10). P oduce s o his ne wo k also pe cei ed he
social impac s o he FM as e y posi i e, especially on
dimensions linked o us , coope a ion, job c ea ion and
esilience, p oduce s’ wellbeing and communi y empow-
e men (S1-S4, S7, S11), while hey a e less con inced o
he e ec s on consume s’ awa eness, and ood iden i y
p ese a ion (S8, S9, S10), and o he capaci y o FMs o
coun e ac nega i e en i onmen al ex e nali ies o ag i-
ood p oduc ion (EN1-EN8). P oduce s om Cia and
Coldi e i, ins ead, end o be mo e in line wi h each o h-
e in he whole spec um o sus ainabili y aspec s, e en i
Cia p oduce s clea ly show a mo e posi i e pe cep ion o
he en i onmen al impac s o FMs.
To es he hypo hesis o FMs as a s uc u al ma -
ke ing and ela ional s a egy o p oduce s, al e na-
i e o con en ional dis ibu ion channels, going beyond
he me e economic p o i abili y and emb acing also a
se o o he economic, social and en i onmen al alues
(Manse , 2022), we selec ed ou o he impac a iables
as “p oxy” o s abili y and in ensi y o p oduce s’ ela-
Table 2. Decision-making c i e ia and FMs’ impac s om he p o-
duce s’ ques ionnai e.
Economic impac s (EC)
EC1) P ice le el
EC2) Income le el
EC3) Sales p edic abili y
EC4) Access o ma ke
EC5) Powe & au onomy
EC6) P oduc s & income di e si ica ion
EC7) Un i p oduc s
EC8) Fa ou able paymen e ms
EC9) Risk sha ing
EC10) Resou ce sha ing
EC11) Dis ibu i e equi y
EC12) Local economy g ow h
EC13) Consume s’ sa is ac ion
EC14) Economic esilience o ex e nal shocks
Social impac s (S)
S1) T us & ela ionships
S2) P oduce s’ coope a ion
S3) Local jobs
S4) Ma ginalised wo ke s
S5) P oduce s’ wellbeing
S6) Female empowe men
S7) Communi y empowe men
S8) Local iden i y & knowledge p ese a ion
S9) Consume s’ ood awa eness
S10) A o dabili y o consume s
S11) Job esilience o ex e nal shocks
En i onmen al impac s (EN)
EN1) T anspo pollu ion
EN2) Packaging pollu ion
EN3) Food was e
EN4) Pes icides
EN5) Ag obiodi e si y p ese a ion
EN6) Animal wel a e
EN7) Resou ces egene a ion
EN8) En i onmen al awa eness
Sou ce: au ho s’ elabo a ion. Ques ionnai e adap ed om he
COACH p ojec me hodology.
Table 3. Consump ion a ibu es among consume s a FMs.
Consump ion expe ience and p ices (CE)
CE1) I sa es me money
CE2) I sa es me ime
CE3) I allows me o shop mo e pleasan ly
CE4) I ind a wide and mo e di e se selec ion o p oduc s han in
he supe ma ke
CE5) A e he COVID pandemic I inc eased my pu chases a he
a me s’ ma ke
Quali y and heal h (QH)
QH1) I makes i easie o me o buy ypical and adi ional
p oduc s
QH2) I makes i easie o me o buy seasonal ui and ege ables
QH3) I ind eshe and be e -quali y p oduce
QH4) I con ibu es o a mo e a ied and heal hie die
Localness and en i onmen (LE)
LE1) I makes i easie o me o buy local p oduc s
LE2) I allows me o educe ood was e
LE3) I allows me o educe pollu ion due o anspo
LE4) I allows me o educe packaging was e
LE5) I con ibu es o suppo ing local p oduce s
Limi ing ac o s (LM)
LM1) Too much ime is needed
LM2) I canno ind all p oduc s when I need hem
LM3) Pu chasing is oo complica ed (managemen , logis ics)
LM4) P oduc s a e oo expensi e
LM5) Li le a ie y o p oduc s a ailable
54 Ma eo Mengoni, And ea Ma esco i, Gio anni Belle i
ionship wi h he FM and i s o he ac o s (o he p oduc-
e s and consume s). The ou p oxy a iables conce n
economic aspec s like isk-sha ing (EC9) and esou ce-
sha ing (EC10) wi h o he ac o s, and social aspec s such
as he building o social and us ela ionships be ween
di e en ac o s (S1) and coope a ion dynamics be ween
p oduce s (S2). Resul s (Figu e 7) show how he wo
social p oxy a iables (S1 and S2) a e pe cei ed as e y
much posi i ely in luenced by FMs, cohe en ly wi h wha
can be ound in he li e a u e (Mas ona di e al., 2015;
Vi e sø e al., 2019; Knea sey e al., 2013; Mancini e al.,
2019). Indeed, 79% o he sample p oduce s conside he
impac o FMs as posi i e on coope a ion be ween p o-
duce s (S2) and 97% o hem conside he impac o FMs
as posi i e on us and social ela ions be ween p oduc-
e s and consume s (S1), wi h no “non posi i e” answe s.
Fo he economic p oxy a iable EC10 – i.e., he pos-
sibili y o sha ing esou ces wi h o he p oduce s, con-
sume s o o he ac o s – he pe cei ed e ec o FMs is
signi ican ly posi i e, wi h 64% o he sample p oduce s
decla ing a posi i e impac . Ins ead, o he o he eco-
nomic p oxy a iable EC9 – conce ning he possibili y
o sha e isk wi h o he p oduce s, consume s o o he
ac o s – he majo i y o ac o s (59%) pe cei ed a non-
posi i e impac o FMs, while 35% o hem pe cei ed i as
posi i e. In eali y, looking deepe in o he non-posi i e
answe s, only 15% o he p oduce s exp essed a nega i e
impac o FMs on isk-sha ing, while 44% o hem pe -
cei ed ha impac as neu al (“nei he posi i e no nega-
i e”), which could be indica i e o he ac ha collec i e
isk-coping mechanisms a e no pu in place by he in e -
iewed p oduce s, o ha hey a e implemen ed ou side
he ma ke s, ega dless o p oduce s’ pa icipa ion in
FMs. No signi ica i e di e ences ac oss FMs ne wo ks
we e ound o hese ou p oxy a iables, sugges ing ha
he deg ee o in ensi y and s abili y o ela ions be ween
Figu e 2. Impo ance o FMs in ela ion o p oduce s’ economic
u no e .
Figu e 3. P oduce s supply o and consume s’ demand o p oduc s
a FMs.
Figu e 4. Consume s’ equency o pu chase a FMs.
Figu e 5. Impo ance o economic and socio-en i onmen al c i e ia
in p oduce s’ decision-making p ocesses.
61
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