Research & reports

Mark Paul · Econstor (Econstor) · United States

In-depth interviews with community supported agriculture (CSA) farmers in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, United States, examined their livelihoods. CSA farmers earned more farm income than other US farms and other farms in the region, but their earnings remained far below the median national household income. Despite this income shortfall, CSA farming provided non-market social, ecological and economic benefits tied to feeding the community rather than producing for mass markets, which farmers described as a significant source of well-being.

Gregory Astill, Darlington Sabasi, Johnson Gwatipedza, Astill, G., Sabasi, D., Gwatipedza, J. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study examined the relationship between direct marketing strategies and technical efficiency among U.S. farmers using stochastic frontier analysis. On average, farmers employing direct marketing strategies were found to be less technically efficient than those who do not. However, for the largest quantile of growers, direct marketing users were more technically efficient.