Values‐based food procurement: Black farmers and structural racism in New York State

Abstract

Responding to growing calls for system dynamics (SD) research to engage with structural racism, this article examines the barriers that Black farmers in New York State face and explores values‐based public institutional food procurement (VBFP) as one possible solution for overcoming these barriers. Combining a qualitative data analysis with causal loop diagrams, this analysis reveals that ongoing structural racism generates (1) structural disconnects between Black farmers' and public institutions' supply chains that inhibit their integration; and (2) procurement policies that create new, rather than addressing existing, barriers for Black farmers. VBFP initiatives' potential to support Black farmers is thus dependent upon dismantling structural racism. In addition, this article advances SD supply chain research by examining one effort to align supply chains with social and environmental values and demonstrates how causal loop diagrams, with their emphasis on system structure, reveal why values‐based supply chain efforts in general often struggle. © 2024 System Dynamics Society.