The value of social farm products

An increasing number of consumers orient their purchase choices considering values such as sensitivity towards environmental preservation, rejection of discrimination and solidarity with the poorest peoples. The recent case of agricultural produces supplied by farms where disadvantaged people are employed fits in with this trend. In the first part of the paper the elements that characterize agricultural products as ‘social’ and the ways to inform consumers about this immaterial content are discussed. In the second part, analysis of a case study based on a direct survey is described. The results, while confirming the typical features of other forms of social consumption, show some interesting aspects, including, notably, the close linkage that the value assigned to the immaterial component of social products shows with the presence of a farm shop and knowledge of the social activities through which the farm opens its productive structures up to the community.