One of the findings from Mark Wilson’s research is that consumers believe online farmers’ markets provide multiple public benefits, such as protecting the environment or supporting the local economy. With the onset of the pandemic, another co-benefit emerged…the resilience of short supply chains to an external shock. Food hubs using the Open Food Network platform experienced a 900% increase in demand, literally overnight. They fulfilled this demand by contacting the producers who normally supply the hospitality sector, which was now locked down, and redirecting food which would otherwise have been wasted to the consumers that needed it. You can read more about their response to Covid here.
