The influence of the farmer and his family on the adoption of short food supply chains

In a search of higher income and lower dependence on intermediaries in the food chain, family farms are increasingly adopting short food supply chains (SFSCs). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of farm entrepreneurs and their family in defining the implementation of SFSCs. We use the 2010 Exhaustive Agricultural Census of French farms and implement a logit model. The results underline the fact that young and educated farm entrepreneurs are more likely to promote SFSCs. The presence of the family on the farm as well as the involvement of family members play a key role in the choice of SFSCs. However, the marital status of a farm entrepreneur and the involvement of their spouse have no specific influence. This research sheds new light on the key role played by families in supporting productive and marketing strategies of farms.