Consumer and retailer surveys and focus groups in potential market help to define quality traits, product reputation, brand recognition, and market premiums. Speciality product or production system that may be more labor intensive and higher cost. Tends to be lower volume with wider margin than other farms. Small scale further processing, packaging, and marketing promotion are often used to enhance opportunities for brand recognition. Management information systems are designed to control inputs traits and production process targeted to yield the desired consumer product characteristics.
Risks are unique to the speciality product and market.
Encourage community food systems, farmer markets for fresh produce. Development of E-markets and overnight delivery systems with packaging that preserves quality. Tax incentives, business development and technology assistance, entrepreneurial mentoring, fund raising and seed capital funds to assist in organizing supply chain networks and alliances. Facilitate development of standards and certification processes that are efficient and not intrusive. Farm household has one or two members earning off-farm income or semi or fully retired.