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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Matthew GortonORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Purpose – This study applies Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine how 572 UK farm businesses engage with eight marketing channels, aiming to understand how patterns of market access relate to structural position, business characteristics, and resilience. Design/methodology/approach – Measures of degree centrality, core–periphery structure and modularity clustering were used to uncover the relational architecture of the UK farms’ marketing channels. Findings – Findings show that most farms rely on just one or two channels, with those using three or more exhibiting the highest network centrality. The findings highlight the need to distinguish between structural embeddedness and functional integration. A farm may be well connected yet remain marginal in terms of capital flow or market influence. Practical implications – Policies aiming to strengthen food system resilience must be network-aware and support a plurality of marketing strategies tailored to different farm contexts enabling resilience and innovation to emerge across all parts of the network. Originality/value – The findings presented herein offer practical recommendations for rural development and national procurement frameworks showing how structural positioning and connectivity can inform typologies for targeted and equitable intervention.
Author(s): Malekinezhad F, Maye D, Gorton M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: British Food Journal
Year: 2026
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 26/02/2026
Acceptance date: 12/01/2026
Date deposited: 29/01/2026
ISSN (print): 0007-070X
ISSN (electronic): 1758-4108
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
URL: https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2025-0841
DOI: 10.1108/BFJ-06-2025-0841
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/h05w-5x23
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