Research & reports

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.

Zhu Rong-ji · Chinese Horticulture Abstracts · China

After its introduction to China, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) developed rapidly, leading to the emergence of specialized small organic farms. However, these traditional farms cannot meet public demand due to their limited reach. Agricultural demonstration zones, serving as platforms for innovation and incubators, are expected to promote the application and extension of the CSA model in China.

Feng Yanmi · Yunnan Nongye Daxue xuebao · China

A discussion paper examines the concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and its role in the integrated, sustainable development of urban and rural areas in China, against the backdrop of the country's urban-rural dual structure, farmland loss and ecological damage from urban expansion, peasants losing land, and food safety concerns. It frames CSA's model, in which producers and consumers form a partnership through advance payment or participation in production and share profits and losses, as promoting organic production and mutual cooperation with economic, ecological and social benefits.

Weiping Chen · British Food Journal · China (Beijing)

This research conceptualized and validated a construct of perceived value in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and investigated its influence on consumer satisfaction and loyalty. The study used a sample of 198 consumers from five CSA farms in Beijing, China, applying partial least squares (PLS) for analysis. Findings indicate that perceived value in CSA is a formative, multi-dimensional, third-order construct, with a direct positive effect on consumer loyalty and an indirect effect mediated by consumer satisfaction.

王冬灵, Genxu Wang, 车生泉 · 上海交通大学学报：农业科学版 · China (Shanghai)

This article discusses the feasibility and optimization design of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) type urban agricultural tourism parks in China, using Chongming Happy Farm in Shanghai as an example. It analyzes issues to consider when developing such parks and explores design optimizations across five aspects: agricultural production systems, tourism systems, overall layout, functional spatial structure, and operation management. The study suggests that CSA-type urban agricultural tourism parks can optimize urban agricultural tourism development and expand suburban agricultural development paths.

Chen Hui-fan · Anhui nongye kexue · China (Zhengzhou)

This article analyzes the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in Zhengzhou and proposes a new Chinese-style CSA model, "daughter-in-law in the city, her husband outside the city," inspired by roof vegetable gardens. This model is presented as beneficial for organic agriculture development and urban roof greening, offering a mutually beneficial practice for combining roof greening and agriculture. It is described as a green economy approach that promotes ecological environment protection and urban-rural economic development.

Sarah Yixin Zhang, Zhang Zhi-xing · Journal of the Association for Information Systems · China

This study investigates how Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pioneers in China use microblogging technology to engage members and develop their communities. CSA is a sustainable agriculture model where members support farms and share risks, making trust-building crucial. Microblogging platforms provide farmers with a channel to communicate updates, address member problems, and facilitate interactions among CSA members, especially when frequent farm visits are not possible. The study analyzed microblog posts from China's first CSA farm.

Anthony M. Fuller, Theresa Schumilas, Zhenzhong Si · Digital Commons - Lingnan (Lingnan University) · Canada; China

This presentation examines innovations and contradictions in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Canada and China, where farmers pursue economic, social, and ecological goals. It describes the evolving CSA movement in Canada and identifies three paradoxes, including the economic paradox of market-based social change, questioning if CSAs can maintain their alternative nature or if co-optation is inevitable.

Yan Shi, Cunwang Cheng, Peng Lei, Tiejun Wen, Caroline Merrifield · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · China (Beijing)

This paper examined the relationship between the Chinese middle class and sustainable agriculture, from the perspective of establishing and operating Beijing's first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, amidst growing middle-class interest in "green" and sustainable food. The study discussed the farm's environmental and institutional sustainability, and explored the potential for future success with CSA models in China based on evidence from this case.

권용덕, 윤인국 · 정책포커스 · South Korea

A study investigated the status of eco-friendly agriculture in Gyeongnam, South Korea, from 2009 to 2010. Gyeongnam's eco-friendly production base was low at 6.2% of the national total (12,043ha), with a high proportion of low-pesticide produce (62.9%). Direct sales were prevalent, but wholesale distribution was very low at 3.0% of total transactions, and exports were concentrated in processed foods and heavily reliant on the Japanese market. The study identified issues such as weakened producer bargaining power, slow development of local food systems due to policy gaps, inadequate wholesale distribution, and an export structure that does not significantly benefit farmers, and proposed revitalization strategies.

石嫣, 程存旺, 雷鹏, 朱艺, 贾阳, 温铁军 · 贵州社会科学 · China

International experience indicates that the development of ecological urban agriculture is inseparable from the rise of a middle-income group, characterized by taking responsibility for social stability, holding non-extreme policy positions, and — in consumption — emphasizing environmental protection and advocating green consumption. The paper argues that urban agriculture must foreground an ecological theme to attract this middle-income consumer group, gain support from a consumer base of sufficient scale, and allow the multifunctionality of ecological urban agriculture to be realized and exercised.

شعبانعلی فمی شعبانعلی فمی, قاسمی قاسمی, سرور امینی سرور امینی, سعادتزاده سعادتزاده · پژوهش های اقتصاد و توسعه کشاورزی · Asia

A correlational survey of farmers' attitudes toward participating in community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the Markazi district of Karaj, Iran. Out of a population of 1,598 farmers, a sample of 130 was drawn by simple random sampling (initially 117 via Cochran's formula, later expanded), using a questionnaire validated by expert judgment and showing Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.7–0.9. Farmers' main motivation for CSA participation was securing financial resources and marketing their produce. Interest in receiving citizens' financial support correlated significantly and positively with annual income, family labor use, and number of citizen visits to farms (p<0.01), and with dependency on the residential area and education level (p<0.05). A Kruskal-Wallis test found significant differences among farmers from different residential areas in interest in citizen financial support, willingness to cooperate with citizens across income levels, satisfaction with farming income, and length of cultivation (p<0.05).

QU Xue-shu · Anhui nongye kexue · China

A Chinese paper frames Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a risk- and benefit-sharing arrangement between farms and their supporting communities, as an outgrowth of food-security concerns and land interest during urbanization, and explores its potential extension into tourism. Analyzing the feasibility and conditions for combining CSA with tourism, the paper proposes a new tourism form under the CSA model, termed 'TCSA tourism.'

김종덕 · 환경사회학연구 ECO · South Korea

This paper points out that the current global food system, which has heavily relied on low-cost oil energy, faces problems in food production, processing, and transportation due to surging crude oil prices, leading to food export controls and riots, and escalating global food conflicts and instability. The global food system is vulnerable to oil energy crises and negatively impacts food safety, security, environment, local economies, and food culture. Therefore, the paper emphasizes the need for alternative food systems like organic farming, urban agriculture, and community-supported agriculture that reduce reliance on oil energy.