Which stability for marketing channels? The case of short food supply chains in French agriculture

Short food supply chains are now recognized marketing channels in French agriculture and are adopted widely by some sectors. This article is part of the growing body of studies on short food supply chains by proposing a study of the dynamics of the adoption of retail selling. The analysis relies on the FADN database for the years 2006 to 2012 and considers farms continuously operating over this period. Descriptive statistics are complemented by a two-step Heckman selection model that considers the duration of retail selling adoption, conditioned by the fact that farmers decide at first to adopt or not such marketing strategy. The analysis identifies that the adoption of such strategy is quite stable over the years. The econometric results confirm the link between the farmer's level of education, the use of workforce, phytosanitary products and the adoption of short marketing channels. They highlight the relationship between the reduction of workforce and phytosanitary products, the implementation of a sound financial situation, as well as sectorial peculiarities in the duration of adoption of retail selling. By contributing to a deeper understanding of short marketing modes, these results reflect the emergence of a specific model of farms centered on the use of short food supply chains