AboutElyse Grau Expertise I can answer most questions on vegetable and fruit growing, in particular those that pertain to the Northwest, Midwest and other cool areas of the country. I prefer to use only organic/natural methods and materials.
Experience I have Master Gardener training and have been gardening for over 25 years. I use organic and natural methods only. I live on 5 acres and have a large vegetable garden, as well as orchard, grapevines and berries.
Question what are some of the problems found in vegetablemarketing espcially in rural areas.
Answer Bwalya:
I assume you mean direct-to-consumer marketing? The biggest problems I've seen are attracting customers, that is getting them to know you are there, and price. Farm-direct prices are often higher than grocery store prices, and with today's economy, more people are unwilling to pay the higher price, even if they understand the difference between your fresh, local and seasonal offerings and the cheap imports they can get at the grocers.
Another lesser problem is expectation - again, people used to shopping at large grocery stores are used to seeing everything, all the time, and don't understand about seasonality.
You really need to educate your customer about the benefits of buying from you. It helps to offer storage and cooking advice, and to offer samples of your wares. If you can grow and sell something that is not so easy to buy elsewhere, that will give you an edge as well.
