Determinants of Participation in AFNs and Its Value for Consumers

In this chapter Corsi and Novelli discuss consumers’ motivations for participating in AFNs. Some consumers are self-interested and look for healthier food, lower prices, better quality, and food freshness and taste. Others have social, political, and environmental concerns. Lastly, personal relationships can count in the decision to join AFNs. These motivations can coexist in the same consumers and have different strength. This chapter discusses the relevant literature and presents the results of three empirical investigations assessing and quantifying the strength of consumers’ commitment to the AFNs. The first analyses the determinants of consumers’ choice to buy from farmers’ stands in urban district markets. The second estimates consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) to buy from farmers. The third estimates Solidarity Purchase Groups members’ WTP for participating in their group.