Can Green Consumer Expectations Match Heirloom Seed Farmers’ Values?

Abstract

This research focuses on the alignment between the values of small farmers cultivating heirloom products and green consumer expectations with regard to the tangible and intangible attributes of the vegetables which they purchase. Adopting a twofold approach (interviews with farmers and an online questionnaire for consumers), we try to identify the common ground which farmers can rely on to promote heirloom products. Our results reveal that heirloom fruit and vegetable purchases can be explained in most cases by the shared convictions of the farmers and consumers. The willingness to purchase such products seems more linked to the ethical and social dimensions of perceived values than to the intrinsic qualities of the products, such as taste or nutritional aspects. We then recommend ways for farmers to better meet their target customers.