Research & reports

Colin Cox, Jessica A. Hoffman, Mariya Shiyko, Catherine Wirth · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States

A study in the United States evaluated the effect of text message reminders on farm share pickup rates among Head Start parents participating in a subsidized community supported agriculture program. While pickup rates were high for both text messaging and no text messaging groups, with 96% vs 92% within two days and 69% vs 62% on the day of delivery, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. The study's ability to isolate the effects of text messages was limited because program coordinators used multiple methods to promote parent participation.

Alexandra Doernberg, Ingo Zasada, Katarzyna Bruszewska, Björn Skoczowski, Annette Piorr · Sustainability · Germany

A 2016 study applies a food systems approach to examine the potential and limits of regional organic food supply in the Berlin Metropolitan Region (BMR), Germany. Using an analytical framework built from the literature and qualitative interviews plus a stakeholder workshop on two alternative food network types — organic community supported agriculture (CSA) and organic retail trade — it finds that demand for regional organic food exceeds regional supply, while identifying obstacles including limited access to land, rising rental prices, insufficient processing capacity, and an unsupportive political environment for organic farming.

Won Kim · Korean Journal of Sociology · United States

A 2016 study based on in-depth interviews with farmers participating in farmers' markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) in the United States analyzes their common features and differences. Contrary to Hinrichs' argument, it finds that both farmers' markets and CSA rely on strong marketability as their foundation for existence. Social embeddedness was more pronounced in CSA than in farmers' markets, with spatial embeddedness showing a similar partial trend, while natural embeddedness was equally pronounced in both with little difference. Building on this feature analysis, the study also explores ways to revitalize both forms.

Connor J. Fitzmaurice, Brian J. Gareau · Yale University Press eBooks · United States

This 2016 book chapter profiles Scenic View Farm in New England, United States, run by owners John and Katie, surveying the farm's history and characteristics relative to other New England farms and describing its landscape. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, which farms like Scenic View depend on for stable sales, require growing diverse crops to meet consumer demand; flowers enhanced the farm's appearance and yielded consistent profits in years when other crops merely broke even. Among the challenges organic farms face, the chapter describes a tomato blight outbreak that swept the region, which Scenic View's CSA helped the farm weather while maintaining its organic certification. Access to supplemental income is described as critical to the farm's continuation, and the chapter portrays farmers, including some who feel they cannot eschew pesticides entirely, trying to farm as responsibly as their circumstances allow.

Linda Naeve, Catherine Strohbehn · Iowa State University Digital Repository (Iowa State University) · United States

As more consumers use Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms for their fresh produce, this publication discusses how to keep food safe before, during, and after delivery, from harvest through storage.

James E. Allen, Jairus Rossi, Timothy A. Woods, Alison F. Davis · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · United States

A survey of 151 shareholders across three midsized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations near Lexington, Kentucky (International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2016), addressed a gap in prior research that had relied mostly on small samples (n < 25). Using 20 paired before/after questions, paired two-sided t-tests, and regression of paired differences on socioeconomic factors, self-reported health, and years of CSA enrollment, the study found that food lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes changed after CSA participation, with respondents who reported "poor health" before enrollment showing the most change overall. The authors describe these results as an initial analysis of CSA's impact on shareholder food lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes.

Dewey Thorbeck · · Global

An essay on land use and food security amid global urbanization describes how the growth of larger farms has strained small rural towns, while small specialty farms near large cities have emerged as a lifestyle choice, providing fresh food through community supported agriculture (CSA) arrangements in which urban residents contract directly with CSA farmers. It also describes community gardens being established on vacant public land in existing urban neighborhoods as part of this fresh-food movement. No empirical study data are presented.

Timothy A. Woods, Debra Tropp, Woods, Timothy A., Tropp, Debra · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · USA

This paper explores the strategic positioning of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in a changing food market, where competition for the local food dollar has expanded. Drawing on observations from a survey of CSA managers, it documents specific trends in adaptations to the CSA business model. CSA managers generally perceive other CSAs and farm markets as their closest competition.

Isidor Wallimann · · Switzerland (Basel)

In 2010, the SEA founded the Urban Agriculture Network Basel Association (UAB) to enhance food production for the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and the urban space. The UAB aims to strengthen the SSE's focus on local and environmental sustainability and shift Basel's food policy towards "food sovereignty." The network fosters social integration by issuing its own hour-based currency and has contributed to building a pilot Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) producer-consumer coop for solar-powered cheese.

Yan Xiaohui · Digital Commons - Lingnan (Lingnan University) · China

This paper presents a lecture by Mr. Yan Xiaohui on Community and Ecological Agriculture, focusing on the experiences and reflections of Little Donkey Farm. The lecture discusses the farm's origins, current activities, and future vision for a shared community.

Margaret Ellen Kubek · UWM Digital Commons (University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee) · United States (Wisconsin)

This thesis explored the food provisioning strategies of year-round and seasonal residents of Phelps, WI. Ethnographic data gathered in the summer and fall of 2011 found that Phelps, WI, is classified as food insecure, leading residents to modify routines for lengthy drives to purchase food, while year-round residents utilized self-provisioning strategies. Newly initiated farmers' market and community supported agriculture projects increased overall food availability, but these efforts were mostly utilized by seasonal residents, with year-round residents finding these options unaffordable and inconveniently scheduled.

Yuki Kato · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (New Orleans)

This case study, based on ethnographic observation and interviews, examined an alternative food market in a New Orleans neighborhood to understand different views of "community." The study identified four distinct groups—community gardeners, locavores, hipsters, and local residents—each with different expectations for the organization. Findings did not demonstrate a unified community emerging around this organization, with no single group staking a claim on it.

Yves T. Ilunga, Sayed Saghaian · 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia · United States

This study used a linear regression econometrics model with USDA county-level data to measure the economic impact of access to healthy food on obesity in the U.S. Results showed that many factors beyond access to healthy food explain variations in obesity rates. Increased household income and more full-service restaurants both had a negative impact on obesity rates, and age played a significant role, with people over 65 likely eating healthier than those under 18.

Ryan E. Galt, Katharine A. Bradley, Libby Christensen, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Ramiro Lobo · Sociologia Ruralis · United States (California)

A study of 111 CSA farms in California examined the effects of competition within alternative food networks. Analysis showed that perceived competition is negatively correlated with CSA farms' profitability, farmer satisfaction, various indicators of CSA's social embeddedness, and two community food security strategies. Competition was found to undermine some commonly held CSA values, specifically fair farmer compensation and strong member-farmer relationships.

Jennifer Haney, Michael A. J. Ferguson, Elyzabeth W. Engle, Kathleen M. Wood, Kyle Olcott, A. E. Luloff, James Finley · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Pennsylvania)

This study aimed to define "community" in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) by interviewing 97 members and four operators from four CSA farms in central Pennsylvania. Respondents were highly satisfied with CSA products and services, but satisfaction scores varied significantly across farms. These differences indicated that member-defined attributes of a CSA community varied, with farm management practices and personal interactions affecting members' perceptions of community.

Claire L. McCarty, Pamela Dixon · Journal of case studies · Global

A case study on the West Central Food Hub Producers' Co-op reveals that the group decided not to proceed with starting the Food Hub Co-op. The decision was made because the costs for management, infrastructure, and delivery would far outweigh the co-op's profitability, leading to its discontinuation.

Eleni Papaoikonomou, Matías Ginieis · Revista Internacional de Organizaciones · United States (New York City)

This study conducts an empirical comparison between two local food systems: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Manhattan, New York, and Responsible Consumption Cooperatives in Catalonia, Spain. Using a qualitative methodology, the research identifies and explores the practices and narratives established between producers and consumers, which are also defined by the orientation and raison d’être of the local system. The study aims to empirically verify romanticized discourses about local food systems.

R. Alan Wight · Environmental Education Research · Global

This abstract cites a study titled "Community supported agriculture as public education: networked communities of practice building alternative agrifood systems." The study was published in Environmental Education Research, volume 22, issue 3, pages 456–457.

Kynda R. Curtis, K. Eileen Allen, Ruby A. Ward, Curtis, Kynda R., Allen, Karin, Ward, Ruby A. · Journal of food distribution research · United States (Utah)

This study examined the impacts of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program participation on consumer attitudes and behaviors related to food consumption and preparation among CSA members in Utah. Data were collected through pre, post, and monthly surveys, food purchase receipts, and CSA basket contents. Results showed shifts in participant dietary intake and food preparation attitudes and behaviors, including increased fresh produce consumption, decreased grain intake, and fewer meals consumed away from home. Participants also became more interested in cooking and canning/preserving, with increased availability of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and folic acid.

Georgeanne M. Artz, Linda Naeve, Artz, Georgeanne M., Naeve, Linda · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States (Iowa)

A study in Iowa indicated that small-scale farmers considering scaling up production face challenges balancing increased labor costs with the need for specialized machinery. The study collaborated with five groups of farmers who shared different pieces of machinery, developing sharing agreements. While the article provides an overview of the benefits and challenges of machinery sharing, the abstract does not state specific findings that machinery sharing resolved economic viability issues.

Jenny Sjöblom · · Sweden

This study describes the origin and development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Sweden, identifying and interviewing organizations and entrepreneurs. While CSA is nascent but growing, with prerequisites for expansion in both rural and urban areas, the study notes implications regarding its accessibility to the broader population that require further exploration.

Mayhah Suri, Paul Goeringer · University Libraries (University of Maryland) · United States (Maryland)

This report highlights the results of a survey conducted in summer 2014 by the Maryland Department of Agriculture on contract use and risk management tools by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operators in Maryland. It also details workshops and materials developed by the Department of Agricultural and Resource and the Ag Law Education Initiative in winter 2015. Additionally, the report mentions state programs that verify CSA operators in California.

Connie Everson · Studies in the Education of Adults · United States

This study examined informal learning among members and farmers in community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the United States. CSA began as a loosely formalized, vaguely socialistic agreement between consumers and farmers, but as it became more institutionalized, education came to hold a near-equal footing alongside the nutritional offerings. The author's research found that goodwill generated by the farmers translated into a shared sense of community, in which information and knowledge were freely shared between CSA members and their farmer. Informal learning was found to be an intricate part of participation in the CSA experience: while individuals joining a CSA did not anticipate or expect a learning experience, the season-long process was strongly conducive to many forms of informal learning.

Christopher Wharton, Renée Shaw Hughner, Lexi MacMillan, Claudia Dumitrescu · Ecology of Food and Nutrition · United States

A US study conducted a series of focus groups to identify the motives for joining community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, the experiences of CSA membership, and diet-related outcomes. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a framework to categorize findings, the data suggested that CSA membership could serve as a strategy for promoting healthful diets and behaviors. Participant numbers and the specific location are not stated in the abstract.

WU Xiao-da · Anhui nongye kexue · China

The background of eco-friendly agriculture development and the meaning and interactive relationship between eco-friendly agriculture and community supported agriculture (CSA) in China are discussed, along with an analysis of CSA's current development status and a summary of four typical CSA operating modes. Existing problems in CSA development are identified, and promotion strategies and policy recommendations are proposed for the construction, implementation and promotion of CSA, without presenting quantitative results.