In the past five years, there has been a proliferation in the number and recognition of ‘food hubs’ across the United States, as well as a substantial increase in foundation and public funding to support their development. In addition to generating economic value within a local economy, funders and policy makers are also acutely attentive to the impact of food hubs on local agricultural producers. While there is a substantial and growing literature that examines food hub activities, there have been few comprehensive, data-driven economic impact assessments completed to date. To adequately address this issue and to provide a replicable framework for similar studies, a best-practice methodology is needed to rigorously evaluate the economic contributions of food hubs on their local economies and the participating farms they support.
Furthermore, a better understanding of food hub activities is needed to evaluate the extent to which food hubs increase the overall demand for and consumption of local food products. Additionally, whether there is demand from customers to expand the availability of food hub products and services in light of opportunities to purchase products from traditional food distributors.
Want more information? See the related SARE grant:
- Regional Food Hubs: the key to improved farm profitability and rural economic development? (GNE11-021)
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.