Accessing Slow Food Earth Markets: Barriers and Enablers

Abstract

This research evaluates the accessibility of Slow Food Earth Markets and proposes a model for its improvement. The qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with sixteen Earth Market organisers from nine countries across the world. The results show that the main accessibility barriers for Earth Markets are related to convenience, consistency, communication, and customer psychological factors; these barriers are influenced by the availability of resources from both the supply and demand sides. The study also offers a framework for enabling access to Earth Markets, identifying actors, resources, activities, and desired outcomes. This research contributes to the understanding of how Earth Markets can be used as a platform for developing more accessible events and consequently more sustainable destinations. The results show that balancing authenticity and accessibility will remain a challenge for Slow Food Earth Markets.