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Recent studies have suggested that farmers' markets are increasingly important contributors to the economic development of rural and urban communities in the US. Yet, little is known about the specific ways and the extent to which farmers' markets contribute to developing their vendors' capacities as entrepreneurs or affect vendors' business success. In this study, we examine the capacities of farmers' market vendors in three states--New York, Iowa and California--and associated entrepreneurial outcomes. In particular, we explore how vendors' business activities and capacities are associated with different sizes of enterprises. A mail survey of up to 400 vendors, from 20 markets in each state, was conducted in 1999 to examine factors associated with business outcomes and vendor capacities. The importance of farmers' markets to small-, medium- and large-size enterprises and the particular contributions that have been most helpful to vendors were identified. Small-scale enterprises are still the most numerous at farmers' markets, making up almost 56% of all vendors. More than half of these enterprises are operated by part-time farmers or market gardeners. We found that the small enterprises had both less business and market experience, and sell at markets closer to home than do medium and large enterprises. Although these vendors with small enterprises have engaged in fewer entrepreneurial activities, made fewer business contacts and acquired fewer skills at farmers' markets, compared to medium and large enterprises they were more likely to consider farmers' markets to be their most important business development opportunity. Although, for these small enterprises, participating in farmers' markets may not yield financial gains as large as those gained by medium- and large-scale vendors, farmers' markets may be one of the few options for entrepreneurs to maintain and/or enhance their market niche in a community. Key information needs of small-, medium- and large-size enterprises are described, as well as suggestions for ways in which local educational institutions, Cooperative Extension, government agencies and nonprofit organizations can help support these enterprises and enhance community economic development in their regions. Key words: direct marketing, entrepreneurship, family farms, locally grown food, rural development, small farms

Criteria are presented for optimizing qualitative research for rural sociology. These direct that the data must be informative and set in established and appropriate literatures, and should be systematic, empirical, transparent, self-reflexive and ethical.

The development of a conceptual framework for the study of family food decision-making in an ecological context is described. The applicability of this framework for the practice and research of family and consumer science is discussed.

Historical evidence and recent theory on the role of farmers as a support base for public agricultural research suggest that the rank-and-file of farmers tends to be ambivalent about agricultural research as a means for enhancing their welfare. Except for those early adopters of technology who are in a position to receive innovators' rents, most farmers receive little or no benefit from or suffer costs due to technologically induced increases in productivity and output which result in declining product prices. This research utilizes partial correlation analysis of survey data from a random sample of farm operators in New York State to test hypotheses concerning farmer ambivalence about agricultural research and the social bases of farmer orientations toward research. The results show that while farmers tend to express positive attitudes toward items reflecting generalized support for the role of science and technology in agriculture, they also express a considerable degree of criticism of or cynicism toward the responsiveness of public agricultural research institutions and the types of technologies they have developed. The correlates of two indexes of farmer orientations toward agricultural research, based on the two sets of items reflecting generalized support for this research and criticism of its responsiveness or relevance, are examined. Structural factors most closely associated with support for and perceived relevance of agricultural research were indicators of farm size and wealth and contact with extension. Several attitudinal indicators--especially profit orientation, cynicism toward agribusiness, and concern with agricultural pollution--were found to have substantial direct effects on the two dependent variables when major structural correlates were controlled.