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The Consumer in a Changing Food System
From: Emergent Agriculture
$1.50
Profitability is determined in the market. Consumers must value products sufficiently to pay a price that exceeds the cost of production and transportation. Price is determined by myriad factors, which include the larger economy, the scarcity of the product, and the importance the consumer attaches to it. Farmers who work in the emerging market produce food for a clientele that believes good food is worth the time required to seek it out. If necessary, most are willing to pay a bit more to get a better product. This modern consumer is increasingly aware of the life cycle of their food and is becoming educated in the language of the production process.
Contributors
Gary S. Kleppel
Gary Kleppel is a professor of Biology at the State University of New York at Albany where he focuses on sustainable agriculture, conservation-based grazing, and the ecology of human-dominated landscapes. He and his wife Pam are owners of Longfield Farm, where they produce grass-fed lamb, wool, free-range chickens and eggs, and artisanal breads. As part of the farm's educational mission, the Kleppels demonstrate sustainable farming practices and the importance of including ethics in food production to more than 100 visitors annually.
