Food Systems Experiment Demonstrates Citizen Commitment to Increasing Community Food Access and Farmer Livelihoods

Authors

Carolyn Hricko, University of Vermont
Scott C. Merrill, University of Vermont
Rebecca C. Mitchell, University of VermontFollow
Caitlin Morgan, University of Vermont
Amy B. Trubek, University of VermontFollow

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

9-2025

Abstract

Small farmers face significant barriers in selling food to low-income communities while maintaining viable livelihoods, creating a disconnect between local food access and agricultural sustainability. This study employed a serious game methodology to test potential policy interventions addressing these food system inequities.

Key results:

• As a research methodology, serious games can be used to reveal human behavior rather than report it
• Players strongly responded to the concept of "community nourishment," revealing an underlying social value not captured or supported by market mechanisms
• Policy is needed to allow people to act upon this value

Comments

This work was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Grant #78151)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Hricko, Carolyn; Merrill, Scott C.; Mitchell, Rebecca C.; Morgan, Caitlin; and Trubek, Amy B., "Food Systems Experiment Demonstrates Citizen Commitment to Increasing Community Food Access and Farmer Livelihoods" (2025). College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications. 210.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/calsfac/210