1. Online and On-Site Interactions within Alternative Food Networks: Sustainability Impact of Knowledge-Sharing Practices
- Author
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Paola De Bernardi, Francesco Venuti, and Alberto Bertello
- Subjects
Knowledge sharing ,lcsh:TJ807-830 ,Geography, Planning and Development ,lcsh:Renewable energy sources ,Social entrepreneurship ,010501 environmental sciences ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,01 natural sciences ,Food chain ,Social capital ,Sustainable development ,0502 economics and business ,Alternative food network ,Marketing ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,Digital platform ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,Food assembly ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,business.industry ,lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants ,05 social sciences ,Behaviour change ,Purchasing ,Digitalisation ,lcsh:TD194-195 ,Sustainability ,Food processing ,Food systems ,Self-organising community ,business ,050203 business & management - Abstract
The sustainability debate in the food sector has exposed the current food system to critics, encouraging the significant growth of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs), new ways of food production, distribution and consumption that aim to shorten the food chain. Our study is focused on Food Assembly (FA), a special kind of AFN combining the culture of social entrepreneurship and digital innovation to achieve sustainability and a high social impact. The coexistence of a digital platform and a weekly farmers&rsquo, market triggers, within this network, mechanisms of knowledge sharing and self-organisation. To date, however, few studies have focused simultaneously on online and on-site interactions within AFNs, especially with quantitative studies. Our paper aims to test the hypothesis that online and on-site knowledge sharing affects the success of a FA measured by customer sustainable behaviour change. To do so, we developed a quantitative analysis based on a regression model. We collected data via a questionnaire submitted to 8497 Italian FA customers, of which 2115 responses were included in our analysis. The results show that online knowledge sharing significantly affects customer change towards more sustainable purchasing and consumption behaviours, while on-site knowledge sharing positively affects sustainable purchasing behaviours.
- Published
- 2019
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