Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
8 results
Perceived resilience of community supported agriculture in Germany
2024Anna Rosman, Joseph MacPherson, Marie Arndt, Katharina Helming · Agricultural Systems · Germany
This study investigated the impact of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) structures on farm resilience among CSA farmers in Germany. A mixed methodology was applied, combining a case study with one CSA farmer and a survey of CSA farmers across Germany. The findings indicated that CSA provides mechanisms for improving farm resilience through increased income security, risk protection, market independence, and satisfaction. CSA farmers demonstrated a high level of perceived resilience compared to non-CSA farmers.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsUnderstanding the emerging phenomenon of food forestry in the Netherlands: An assemblage theory approach
2024Anna M. Roodhof · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Netherlands
To map and analyze food forestry (FF) in the Netherlands, a survey of 109 participants and interviews with five experts were conducted, identifying 231 food forests established since 2017. The survey data indicates that while FF initiatives are diverse in goals, few focus on profitability. Practitioners are largely homogeneous, consisting of university-educated individuals aged 40 to 60.
Economic viabilityCommunityPolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFarming under Urban Pressure: Business Models and Success Factors of Peri-Urban Farms
2023Wojciech Sroka, Piotr Sulewski, Jarosław Mikołajczyk, Karol Król · Agriculture · Poland
This study, based on a survey of economically successful peri-urban farms in Poland, identified success factors and major barriers to their development. The research shows a considerable convergence in business solutions in recent years, particularly in customer relationships and channels. According to respondents, the success of peri-urban farms is primarily determined by three groups of factors: motivation, diligence, and creativity; high quality of products and services; and cultivating deep bonds with customers. While farm managers indicated relatively few internal problems, urban pressure was considered the most significant external barrier to development.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsCommunityAssessing Agri-Food Start-Ups Sustainability in Peri-Urban Agriculture Context
2021Ambrogio Zanzi, Valentina Vaglia, Roberto Spigarolo, Stefano Bocchi · Land · Italy (Milan)
This study assessed the sustainability of eight agri-food start-ups in a peri-urban area of Milan, Italy, using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) framework. The application of SAFA indicators revealed positive aspects but also some limitations typical of unstructured enterprises.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agricultureEconomicsPolicyCommunityClimate change“It’s one of the few things that … pulls us together when the outside world is really tough.” Exploring the outcomes and challenges of a charity-led community garden in a disadvantaged English city
2021Sam Ramsden · Local Environment · United Kingdom (England)
This article analyzes a charity-led community gardening project in a disadvantaged northern English community, which operated for three years with external funding. While it successfully engaged marginalized people, leading to increased skills, confidence, reduced isolation, and improved wellbeing, the project faced significant challenges requiring professional management. Crucially, after the funding ended, the community garden's future was fragile, and the long-term sustainability of outcomes for marginalized participants was vulnerable due to economic viability issues.
Economic viabilityCommunityHealthWelfareEconomicsPolicy‘Workable utopias’ for social change through inclusion and empowerment? Community supported agriculture (CSA) in Wales as social innovation
2020Tezcan Mert-Cakal, Mara Miele · Agriculture and Human Values · United Kingdom (Wales)
This article examines Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects in Wales as social innovation, exploring their emergence, innovative role, and transformative potential. Based on qualitative data from four different CSA case studies in Wales, the research showed that Welsh CSA cases play distinctive roles in the social economy, satisfying needs for ecologically sound and ethically produced food and empowering individuals at a micro level. However, the paper argues that for CSA initiatives to become 'workable utopias', they need to overcome barriers preventing replication, participation in macro-level policies, and scaling up, particularly concerning economic sustainability and resilience on a small scale.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsChallenges for the revitalisation of peri-urban agriculture in Spain: Territorial analysis of the Madrid and Oviedo metropolitan areas
2017Nerea Morán Alonso, Ícaro Obeso Muñiz, Agustín Hernández Aja, Felipe Fernández García · Moravian Geographical Reports · Spain
This paper analyzed the evolution of peri-urban agriculture in Spain's Madrid and Oviedo metropolitan areas to identify revitalization opportunities. Using aerial images and cartographic bases, the study found that peri-urban agriculture has suffered from urban occupation and internal changes in crops and agricultural uses, experiencing a process of decline. Innovative initiatives are explored as potential revitalization opportunities.
Economic viabilityPeri-urban agriculturePolicyEconomicsCommunityFarmers against the Market? The Itinerary of an Alternative Marketing System for Fruits and Vegetables
2012Madlyne Samak · L Homme et la société · France
A long-term study in southeastern France examined the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as an alternative marketing system for fruits and vegetables. The study found that the non-market dimension of CSA appears to have disappeared over time, from its initial form to current basket systems. This change is attributed to the diversification of farmers' sociological profiles and the transformation of marketing conditions for organic local products.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomics