Community and Rural Sociology
Research Suggests Correlation Between Direct
Marketing Activities of Farmers and Participation in
Promoting Agricultural Sustainability
One of Dr. Raymond Jussaume’s more recent research efforts has been part of a collaborative effort with Dr. Lucy Jarosz (University of Washington), Dr. Joan Qazi (Wenatchee Valley College), and Dr. Marcy Ostrom (WSU Puyallup, Department of Community and Rural Sociology. This team of researchers recently collected data from a random sample of ten percent of all Washington state farmers and from consumers in King, Skagit, Chelan, and Grant counties. The findings show nearly 20 percent of all Washington farmers (and nearly sixty percent of all vegetable farmers) engage in some form of direct marketing, and that a quarter of the farmers wish to either begin or expand their use of this marketing strategy. Preliminary data analysis also suggests that farmers who engage in direct marketing are more likely to engage in a variety of practices that are considered to be helpful in promoting agricultural sustainability. On the consumer side, approximately one quarter of those surveyed indicate they purchased food directly from farmers in the previous year, and more than half of the consumers stated that they would like to begin or expand the amount of food they buy directly from farmers. Taken together, these findings suggest not only that there is potential for revitalizing local agriculture by expanding direct market ties between local producers and consumers, but also that strengthening local food systems could enhance the ecological, economic, and social sustainability of Washington agriculture. Interested individuals can access data from both surveys at the Department of Community and Rural Sociology’s web site www.crs.wsu.edu/outreach/rj/agsurvey and www.crs.wsu.edu/outreach/rj/ag-consumer.
Dr. Jussaume is now working to take this research trajectory to a new stage by working with researchers from Michigan, California, New York, and Iowa. The driving hypothesis of a joint study would be that a stronger local food system might also lead to improved health outcomes for local citizens. If this hypothesis is confirmed, it could lead to useful policy suggestions for improving the health of all U.S. citizens, as well as improving the sustainability of Washington agriculture.
Contact Information
Raymond Jussaume, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Community and Rural Sociology
Washington State University
PO Box 644006
Pullman, WA 9914-4006
Telephone: 509-335-7626
E-mail: rajussaume@wsu.edu
Society, Communication, and Learning
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Dr. Raymond Jussaume holds
graduate degrees in political science (M.A.,
University of Georgia) and development sociology
(Ph.D., Cornell University). His master’s
thesis on agricultural development policies was
based in part on his experiences as a Peace Corps
volunteer in the Republic of Niger. His Ph.D.
research, which eventually led to the publication
of a book titled Japanese Part-Time Farming,
examined the pros and cons of part-time farming
as a development strategy. Dr. Jussaume has
extensive interdisciplinary training and
experience, including a long-standing
relationship with colleagues from WSU’s
Department of Animal Sciences, with whom he has
investigated Japanese meat production and
marketing systems. He has also conducted research
on the development and sustainability of
agriculture and food systems in the
People’s Republic of China and hopes to
engage in a project in the near future with
colleagues in Montpellier, France, on the
economic, social, and environmental
sustainability of different local food system
development strategies. |
