Identifying Direct Market Opportunities and Challenges for King County Farms

Small farm businesses have found profit in direct-to-market sales, but often find that they need better marketing and promotion support in order to sustain and amplify that profit. King Conservation District (KCD) and key stakeholders identified direct marketing support for farmers as a 2018 strategic initiative area for investment and contracted with the University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition (CPHN) to address two research question areas:

1. What is the current state of King County’s direct market farm economy?
2. What are the perceived challenges, areas of opportunity, and desired supports among farmers related to direct marketing?

To address these questions, CPHN conducted a systematic literature review on direct marketing in the United States and surveys and interviews with King County farmers about their experience with farming and direct marketing.