A Systematic Review Characterizing Farm Direct Marketing Challenges, Strategies, and Opportunities

Abstract

Background: In response to growing demand for local food, direct marketing has grown markedly over the past thirty years but continues to make up a small percentage of farm sales in the United States. We aimed to perform a systematic review to understand the current state of direct marketing in the United States and identify common challenges, strategies, and opportunities to improve direct marketing sales. Methods: We conducted a search of three databases and completed a qualitative analysis of both grey literature and peer-reviewed sources published in the United States between 1990 and 2018 to develop common themes to answer the stated research questions. The PRISMA framework was used to guide this systematic review. Results: A total of 105 sources met inclusion criteria and were used in this systematic review. Sources were representative of all regions of the United States and shed light on profitability, size, concentration, and growth of direct marketing operations. We noted common challenges related to resources, competition, and market variability and sustainability. Many of the strategies we discovered directly addressed the challenges and pertained to areas such as marketing, advertising, and promotion, business and management, and social embeddedness. We also found opportunities for government and extension agencies to support direct market producers through technical assistance and policy. Conclusion: The results outlined in this systematic review provide constructive information for food policy leaders to support producers in achieving their goals while meeting growing consumer demand and maintaining their core values.