TY - JOUR AU - Rutz, Jacob C. AU - Bloom, J. Dara AU - Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle AU - Gunter, Chris PY - 2018/09/12 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Farm to Childcare: An Analysis of Social and Economic Values in Local Food Systems JF - Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development JA - J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev. VL - 8 IS - 3 SE - Open Call Paper DO - 10.5304/jafscd.2018.083.004 UR - https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/622 SP - 23-39 AB - <p>Farm to institution is a component of the local food movement, representing the growing link between local producers and organizations like schools, prisons, and hospitals. These are organiza­tions that have concentrated buying power and thus a sizable influence on local food supply chains. Farm to childcare represents a next step in farm to institution, serving young children at the apex of their habit formation and biological devel­opment, and providing economic opportunities for local farmers. Using a qualitative case study meth­od­ology in one urban county in North Carolina, this paper asks the questions: (1) How do childcare centers, farmers, and distributors negotiate the tensions between social and financial values in the farm-to-childcare initiative? and (2) What strategies do these supply chain actors use to overcome bar­riers? Analyzing the perceptions of participation in a farm-to-child­care project of 11 childcare cen­ters, 11 farmers, and four distributors shows paral­lel values for children’s health and community con­nections to farmers actualized in the relation­ships and pur­chase of local foods. However, market-driven values and actions dominated the supply chain for all participants when business solvency seemed to be in opposition to central social com­mitments. Childcare centers and nonprofit distribu­tors sub­sidized local food purchases with inexpen­sive, nonlocal food and grant funding, respectively. Many farmers preferred expressing social values through noncommercial activities rather than sac­rificing economic viability to participate in socially oriented programs. This study suggests that achiev­ing the social goals of farm-to-childcare programs requires creative strategies, such as coordinating sales of smaller than Grade A produce, purchasing from multiple local sources, and aggregating demand from multiple centers.</p><p>See the <a title="press release archive " href="http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=488966&amp;f=60033&amp;s=84565&amp;m=968615&amp;t=257c360ddc23fcec50d37942ed548ee4169a6c0d76d51e227fa886af9ecdf0c7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> for this article.&nbsp;</p> ER -