Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
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Critical findings
410 results(2 / 17)
Holistic and integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of community supported agriculture: A case study of school catering in Leipzig, Germany
2025Madeleine Pries, Walther Zeug, Daniela Thrän · Cleaner and Responsible Consumption · Germany (Leipzig)
A Holistic and Integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (HILCSA) was applied to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative in Leipzig, Germany, supplying seven fruits and vegetables to schools, comparing it to a conventional food market. Based on 82 indicators, the CSA showed 63% fewer sustainability risks and a positive contribution to SDGs, with replacing conventional supply for 200 pupils avoiding 1 ton of CO2 equivalents annually. However, the CSA had significantly lower yields than conventional production, despite similar water, land, and energy uses per hectare, and spent mushroom substrate caused the highest upstream impacts.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsClimate changeCommunity‐Supported Agriculture in Brazil: Co‐Responsibility in Agroecological Production to Strengthen Food Security
2025Rita de Cássia Lisboa Ribeiro, Cecília Rocha, Andhressa Araújo Fagundes · Urban Planning · Brazil
An integrative literature review investigated the potential of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) to promote food security in Brazil. CSA can ensure a decent income for family farmers, reducing social vulnerability, and shows significant potential for promoting food sustainability due to its strong influence from agroecology. However, CSA faces a significant limitation in the elitization of this movement, reflecting historical social inequalities where only a relatively small portion of the population can afford healthier food.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthClimate changeConsumer segmentation and participation drivers in community-supported agriculture: A choice experiment and partial least squares structural equation modelling approach
2025Sota Takagi, Miki Saijo, T. Ohashi · International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science · Japan
This study identified potential Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) participants in Japan and validated existing theories on CSA participation through a quantitative analysis of 2484 Japanese consumers using choice experiments and Latent Class Analysis. Five distinct consumer segments were identified, with "Food Education and Learning Opportunities" and "Contribution to Environmental and Social Issues" being key drivers for participation across all segments. Factors related to "Variety of Ingredients" were less influential.
CSA & TeikeiFood educationCommunityClimate changeThe Contradictions of Pursuing Holistic Sustainability on a CSA Farm
2025Caitlin Morgan · Gastronomica The Journal of Food and Culture · United States (upstate New York)
This study is a case study of Essex Farm, a full-diet Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation in upstate New York. The farm struggled to balance its ecological and social values with the economic imperatives and pressures of surviving in a competitive, capitalist market. Consequently, the farm's social fabric, critical to its initial success, began to fray over time.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceTransforming food systems in Semarang City, Indonesia: A short food supply chain model
2025Budi Widianarko, Inneke Hantoro, Novita Ika Putri, Probo Y. Nugrahedi · Open Agriculture · Indonesia (Semarang)
This study explored the potential of short food supply chains (SFSCs) in Semarang City, Indonesia, to create a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable food system. Desk studies and focus group discussions revealed Semarang City's readiness for SFSCs, evidenced by an increase in farmer groups (371 in 2017 to 406 in 2021) and urban farming initiatives (8 in 2015 to 113 in 2021). Key commodities include vegetables, fruits, cereals, and tubers, with success factors identified as quality, consistency, market access, technology, government support, institutional strength, and consumer education.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyCollaborative consumption of tea tourism through community-supported agriculture
2025Lee Jolliffe, Moe Nakashima · · Japan
This chapter explores the use of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a model of collaborative consumption by a tea farm in Japan. The case study, Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms, LLC, is a social enterprise that implements CSA principles, allowing subscribers to receive the coming year's tea harvest and symbolic ownership of a tea field section. This model is driven by socio-economic objectives and aims to build a community of tea drinkers who support the farm.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood educationConviviality and commoning
2025Andrea Vetter, Matthias Fersterer · · Global
This chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Degrowth (2025) examines the concepts of 'conviviality' and 'commoning' from a degrowth perspective. Conviviality refers to the quality of relationships between humans and non-humans, while commoning involves organizing these relationships. The authors use examples like composting toilets and community-supported agriculture to illustrate the potential of these concepts to foster prefigurative politics and direct action.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justicePathways to collective transformative action: Investigating personal narratives in sustainable communities
2025Lena Schmeiduch, Paula Blumenschein, Jane Gösling, Karsten Müller · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · Global
This study investigated pathways to joining sustainable communities by conducting 28 narrative interviews with active members. Analysis focused on life experiences, personal motives, and transformative experiences, identifying three pathways: viewing the community as a logical step in a sustainable lifestyle, desiring a sense of community and solidarity, and seeking alternatives to mainstream societal structures.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceUnderstanding consumer values of participants in a cost-offset community supported agriculture (CSA) program
2025Jairus Rossi, Tamora Pierce, Shuoli Zhao, Timothy Woods · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Kentucky)
A survey was conducted among 172 shareholders and non-shareholders of an employer-sponsored CSA voucher program at the University of Kentucky to understand consumer values influencing their decision to join a CSA. Best-worst scaling analysis showed that subscribers were primarily interested in product quality and local economic impacts, while those who declined a CSA focused on perceived food affordability.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsWelfareGrowing together – How institutional structures influence communal agricultural prosumption types and their potential for continuity
2025Stefan Galley, Rita Saleh, Patrick Bottazzi · Journal of Rural Studies · Switzerland
This qualitative study compares three Swiss communal agricultural prosumption (CAP) types: allotment gardens (AGs), community gardens (CGs), and community supported agriculture (CSA), using Grounded Theory. It found that community-centred CAPs (CSAs, CGs) generate political agency but face financial barriers limiting participation. Individual-centred CAPs (AGs) offer autonomy but have high knowledge requirements and lack political leverage, posing crucial challenges for long-term viability. The study concludes that targeted policy and institutional strategies are needed to ensure the continuity of all CAP types.
Economic viabilityCommunityCSA & TeikeiPolicyEconomicsProximity despite distance? A community-supported agriculture initiative across rural mountain and urban areas in Switzerland
2025Sarah Steinegger, Nora Katharina Faltmann · Journal of Political Ecology · Switzerland
This qualitative research examined the challenges consumers and farmers face in establishing proximity within a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative in Switzerland that links rural mountain and urban areas. The study found that consumers and farmers are facing challenges in establishing proximity. Nevertheless, shared experiences of farming activities and social events, along with participants' willingness to improve CSA operations and strengthen ties for mutual understanding and joint efforts, contribute to the ongoing process of establishing proximity.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiCommunityUrban–rural linkageInformation Management and Utilization in Urban Agriculture and the Impact of Farm Diversification
2025Mitsuhito HOSAKA, Mitsuyo UEMATSU, Hironori Yagi · 農村計画学会誌 · Japan
This study identified the relationship between information management and farm diversification in urban areas using quantitative analysis from the Census of Agriculture and Forestry and a multiple case analysis of seven farmers using farm management information systems (FMIS). Regression analysis revealed that farmers who diversify their businesses, especially those selling directly to consumers or food manufacturers/services, are likely to manage their business information. Multiple case analysis indicated that diversified farmers focus on searching for pesticide information and simplify the management of scheduled and actual farm work.
EconomicsDigital agricultureCSA & TeikeiCommunity Dietary and Exercise Strategies to Mitigate Symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
2025Jasmine C. Barredo, Sarah G. Colbert, Ada F. Dhaouadi, Samhitha Kolapalli, Elaina Y. Wi · VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · Global
This literature review evaluates three community strategies involving diet and exercise to mitigate symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The strategies include food-access programs connecting SNAP with Community Supported Agriculture for healthy meals, pricing policies like taxes on high-sugar beverages and subsidies for healthier foods, and structured community exercise programs. These interventions aim to improve PCOS by alleviating symptoms such as insulin resistance and irregular menstruation.
HealthCSA & TeikeiWelfareBecoming community economy: how community-supported agriculture diversifies farm labour
2025Guilherme Raj, Giuseppe Feola · Local Environment · Portugal
This study longitudinally examines labor in three Portuguese community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives to reconstruct the trajectory of labor diversification over several years. The analysis shows that the CSA setup led to labor diversification in all three case studies. Findings suggest that "community" is an emergent property rather than an inherent quality of CSA, and that empowerment and disempowerment dynamics are crucial in diversifying work relations.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood Systems
2025M. L. Wahlqvist · Food and nutrition · Global
This chapter defines food systems and their evolution, noting that current systems contribute significantly to environmental degradation. It highlights the urgent need for transformation due to increasing global food demand, environmental issues, political instability, and climate change. The chapter discusses alternative food systems, including urban agriculture, that prioritize sustainability, resilience, and social justice to address challenges in industrialized food production and ensure access to nutritious food.
Food sovereignty & justiceCSA & TeikeiCommunityClimate changeDesign and methods of a community supported agriculture program with native Americans: the go healthy study
2025Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, Tori Taniguchi, Kaylee R Clyma, Kristina Gabriel, Jessica Reese, Ying Zhang, Susan B. Sisson, Tara L. Maudrie, Jann Hayman · AJE Advances Research in Epidemiology · United States
The Go Healthy Study is a community-based participatory research study designing a 16-week randomized, wait-list controlled trial for approximately 400 Native American adults in the Osage Nation with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. The intervention includes weekly produce boxes, a healthy eating and traditional foods curriculum, cooking demonstration videos, and a kitchen starter kit. Primary outcomes are to improve systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and to increase fruit and vegetable intake.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityHealthFood educationThe Shared Story: How Narratives Affect Consumers’ Sense of Community and Support for CSAs
2025Elizabeth C. Ray, Patrick Merle · Journal of Applied Communications · Global
This study, an online between-subjects experiment, examined how consumers (n=182) respond to narrative versus non-narrative email messages from CSAs. Results indicated that consumers who read a short narrative were more likely to feel positive emotion, a communal connection to the farm, and support the farm than those who did not read a narrative. Additionally, a first-person perspective was viewed as less credible than a third-person perspective.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsUnderstanding community supported agriculture through the intersection of practices and socio-technical Regimes
2025Mattia Andreola · Discover Sustainability · Italy (Trento)
This study conducted three years of ethnographic research, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and quantitative data analysis, on "NaturalMente in Trentino," a CSA initiative in Trento, Italy. The research revealed multiple lock-in points, indicating that CSA constraints stem from organizational inefficiencies, deeply rooted cultural and behavioral habits such as the use of private gardens or a preference for supermarket convenience, and rigid institutional frameworks like cooperative dominance in the local agri-food regime.
Governance failureCSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsSustainable Foods and Consumption
2025Songül Kesen, Eda Elgin Kılıç · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · Global
Sustainable food is a concept integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions to ensure food system sustainability. It aims to reduce environmental impacts, ensure food security, and promote healthy nutrition, often associated with plant-based diets. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models have potential to strengthen local food systems and environmental sustainability by encouraging local community participation in agricultural production.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceClimate changeEconomicsCommunity farming in Northern Ireland: Definitions and impacts
2025Jonathan H. Hanson, C Lynn Collins, Tiziana O'Hara, Matthew Williams · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United Kingdom
This study explored community farming in Northern Ireland, defining it as a collaborative transformation process at the intersection of land, community, and enterprise. Using Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology over two years, it quantified the cumulative impacts of nine diverse community farming projects. The overall SROI ratio was 3.52:1, with 90% of the value being social, 8% environmental, and 2% economic.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunity Supported Agriculture and Food Waste in Curitiba, Paraná
2025Dailey Fischer, Roberta Romano, Mariana Monteiro Kugler Batista, Mario Prokopiuk, Valério Alécio Turnes, Carlos Alberto Cioce Sampaio · Ambiente & sociedade · Brazil (Curitiba)
An exploratory survey (N=401, n=144) was conducted to assess food waste patterns among consumers involved in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in the Central Urban Core of Curitiba, Brazil. The results showed that participation in CSAs does not significantly influence consumer behavior regarding food waste. This indicates a need for sustainable consumption education and context-specific solutions.
Limited or null effectCSA & TeikeiFood lossFood educationEconomicsEnhancing Food Loss and Waste Management for ImprovedSustainable Agri-Food System: Empirical Study in the Republicof Armenia
2025Davit Markosyan, Vardan Aleksanyan, Sargis Gevorgyan · AgriScience and Technology · Armenia
This study investigated the relationship between food security and waste management in Armenia's agri-food system, analyzing data from 2005 to 2022. Findings indicate that increased imports, use, and exports of food commodities are linked to higher food loss. Recommendations include improving infrastructure for food imports, enhancing supply chain efficiency, investing in better storage, and applying circular economy principles like community-supported agriculture (CSA) to reduce waste.
Food lossCSA & TeikeiEconomicsOrganic cycleBehavioral Sciences in the Study of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
2025Virgínia Gomes de Caldas Nogueira, Laércia Abreu Vasconcelos · Revista de Gestão e Secretariado (Management and Administrative Professional Review) · Global
This systematic literature review aimed to identify studies on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members' pro-environmental, prosocial, or health-related behaviors, particularly those using a psychological approach or from other behavioral science fields. The review found that psychology studies on CSA members' behavior patterns are rare, despite the multidisciplinary scientific community's interest in these behaviors for food and planetary preservation.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHealthE-WOM In Urban Community Support Ariculture: Impact Of Customer Experience, Knowledge, And Involvement
2025Hesty Nurul Utami, Resti Arini, Tomy Perdana, Sulistyodewi Nur Wiyono, Dini Turipanam Alamanda, Dinar Mariam Kurniati · Agrisocionomics Jurnal Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian · Indonesia (Bandung)
This quantitative study, using SEM-PLS with 60 respondents from an urban Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Bandung City, Indonesia, investigated the effect of customer experience, product knowledge, and customer involvement on electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) for organic vegetables. The results indicate that customer experience, product knowledge, and customer involvement significantly influence E-WOM. The findings offer implications for marketing organic products in online communities to enhance consumer trust and promote CSA sustainability.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsDigital agricultureThe Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef: In Pursuit of the Ideal Meal. By Daniel J. Philippon
2025Hal Crimmel · ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment · Global
Daniel Philippon's latest book examines the production, processing, and consumption of sustainable food, focusing on the prolific work of agricultural writer Wendell Berry, Italian Slow Food advocate Carlo Petrini, and chef and writer Alice Waters. The book explores the central question: "How did nonfiction writing, as exemplified by the work of these three authors, shape the sustainable food movement?" Philippon's experience volunteering on a Wisconsin CSA farm provides context for probing Berry's ideas about agricultural practices.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage