Combine living and working in the “information age” with the greatest variety of choice the consumer has ever seen and you’ve got yourself a unique set of first-world problems. For the farmer, that essentially boils down to marketing problems. There is not only a large volume of information available to the consumer, but a demand for it by them. The sheer volume of information the consumer has to wade through means that they have to develop discernment while producers have to make sure their voice isn’t just heard, but trustworthy. In short, the relationship with the consumer has to be closer.
Read more: Agriculture is not one size fits all
The importance of strengthening that relationship and what it will take to do it was the focus of a talk by Author and CBC Food Critic John Gilchrist. Gilchrist spoke to the crowd at this year’s Tiffin Conference in Lethbridge, Alberta, about 7 areas of consumer focus and why it’s important to link farm to table. RealAgriculture’s Jason Stroeve spoke to John Gilchrist at the conference.