Digital tools for local farmers: Thinking with spreadsheets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

With the emergence of social distancing, the shutdown of schools and restaurants, and increased anxieties about in-person farmers markets in early 2020, local farmers and food distributors quickly pivoted to digital tools to manage their farms and connect with buyers. In this paper, we explore the role of a seemingly simple digital tool in shaping alternative agrarian relations during the pandemic-induced local food boom: the spreadsheet. Through interviews with farmers and food distributors across urban, periurban, and rural landscapes in the United States (U.S.), we show how spreadsheets and other digital tools have helped farmers manage demand during the COVID-19 pandemic while also presupposing costs, benefits, and efficiencies for these alternative agricultural food spaces. Ultimately, many local farmers found themselves pursuing goals of simplicity, labor efficiency, and expansion-oriented growth as they made sense of their farm data. Reflecting on these values, and the spreadsheet data underlying them, became a point of tension for farmers who place a high importance on diversification, stability, and interpersonal interactions. By attending to how these data are tracked, we gain deeper insights into how farmers and other stakeholders think about agrarian futures: who does the work, what gets planted, who's buying, and who benefits.