Farmer satisfaction and short food supply chains

Abstract

In response to a commentary on our research article (Azima and Mundler in Agric Hum Values 39:791–807, 2022), we address the argument that increased reliance on family farm labor with low or no opportunity costs leads to higher net revenue and greater economic satisfaction. Our response provides a nuanced perspective on this issue in the context of short food supply chains. We also examine the share of total farm sales from short food supply chains in terms of its effect size on farmer job satisfaction. Finally, we emphasize the need for further research into the sources of occupational satisfaction among farmers involved in such marketing channels.