Research & reports

Catharina Any Sulistyowati, Suraya Afiff, Muhammad Baiquni, Mia Siscawati · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Global

A literature study conducted from October 2021 to June 2022 identified challenges in the development of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Farmers face expenses for sustainable practices and labor shortages, while CSA members encounter issues with time commitment, cost, and adapting food consumption habits. Organizational challenges include member recruitment and retention, competition, and CSA sustainability.

Guilherme Raj, Giuseppe Feola, Hens Runhaar · Agriculture and Human Values · Portugal

This comparative case study of three Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Portugal analyzed how power shapes transformations to postcapitalist work relations. Results showed that while CSA creates non-alienated, non-monetized, and care-filled postcapitalist work relations, they insufficiently unmake unbalanced power relations established in capitalist work relations. The selected CSA initiatives could benefit from actively deconstructing internal hierarchies, decentralizing decision-making power from farm owners, and addressing oppressive power relations ossified in their local and cultural context when establishing postcapitalist work relations.

Lukas Egli, Judith Rüschhoff, Joerg A. Priess · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Global

A systematic review of quantitative empirical research on the sustainability effects of community-supported agriculture (CSA) covered 39 studies. Fewer than 30% of the studies assessed ecological sustainability aspects, but where CSA farms were compared to reference systems, they mostly performed better on resource use efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Most studies assessed social aspects; many showed that CSA still fails to reach low-income households, so members do not represent the average population, while CSA membership was associated with improved health and sustainability behavior. Economic variables were assessed in more than half of the studies, but knowledge of CSA's relative economic performance remains scarce, though early studies indicate high economic viability. The review calls for more research on ecological aspects specifically, comparisons across farming and marketing systems, and integration of knowledge from theses and practical sources in multiple languages.

Mokoena Oratilwe Penwell, Ntuli Thembelihle Sam, Ramarumo Tshepo, Seeletse Solly Matshonisa · International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Studies · Global

A conceptual paper argues that crowdsourcing and synergy (CSS) platforms could optimize activities for small-scale dairy farmers (SSDFs) in low- and middle-income economies, where market withdrawal by small farmers is disrupting producer-consumer relationships. Built on logic-based reasoning rather than empirical data, the paper contends that crowd-collaborative farming (CCF) could improve local market performance depending on member composition, and calls for further research on revenue-distribution mechanisms and for training SSDFs in CCF, particularly those facing high failure rates and debt.

Muradiye Ateş · Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi · Global

A qualitative study on the role of social innovation in poverty alleviation and sustainable development examined two cases — the KIVA microcredit system and community-supported agriculture — assessing each for innovativeness, sustainability, social impact, target audience, and institutional structure. It concluded that both cases contribute to poverty reduction and regional development in terms of these dimensions.

Bernd Bonfert · Sustainability · Wales

This paper investigated local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) networks in Wales and Germany using semi-structured interviews and observations. It found that local collaboration enables CSAs to integrate supply chains, engage communities, and participate in food councils. However, the study also revealed competitive tensions between neighboring CSAs, which presents a previously unknown challenge to CSA's potential scalability.

Nicholas DeMarsh · International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy · Global

This research, conducted from a youth educator's perspective, used participatory action research (PAR) in youth urban agriculture education to illustrate the impact of young people shaping community-based programs. Findings showed that youth-led programming creates new processes and educational opportunities, strengthening program outcomes by engaging students in interesting ways. Practical implications include opportunities for social network bonding via farm stands and challenges in social network bridging through Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs).

Claudia Vaderna, Robert Home, Paola Migliorini, D. Roep · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · Switzerland

This study explored the main challenges faced by eight Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in Switzerland and the pathways used to address them. It was shown that while organizers often have enthusiastic ideas, generating sufficient income for a fair producer salary is difficult, posing a challenge to long-term existence. The members' perspective (254 responses) indicated a divergence between organizers' expectations and members' more pragmatic approach.

Özge Yalçıner Ercoşkun · IGI Global eBooks · Global

This chapter analyzes direct organic marketing mechanisms and community-building approaches, such as organic markets, participatory guarantee systems, and community-supported agriculture. It demonstrates these cultures and provides best practices for creating sustainable food community networks globally. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the significance of sociality and locality, thus contributing to the long-term goal of sustainable development and resilience.

Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Imre Fertő, Ágnes Neulinger, József Rácz, Attila Oláh · BMC Public Health · Hungary

This study examined situational and engagement-related work difficulties for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers in Hungary, using interpretive phenomenology and semi-structured interviews. The research found that new modes of consumer-producer connectivity create novel issues for farmers, leading to three experiential themes: conflicted autonomy, the pressure of boxes, and social overload. These difficulties are rooted in the economic characteristics of alternative agriculture and structural conditions that require conflicting farmer roles. The study highlights the health and wellbeing costs of sustainable farming, noting that farmers often lack the time, experience, or skills for new producer-consumer connections.

April M. Roggio, Jason Evans · Sustainability · Global

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally-rooted agroecological governance mechanisms that have garnered interest globally. However, there is little evidence of their development in the United States, where community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmer's markets grew instead, though many of these mechanisms failed to sustain interest and support. This study explores factors driving PGS creation in other global regions and identifies factors shaping a different trajectory for local agriculture in the United States.

Olga Orlić, Anita Čeh Časni, Kosjenka Dumančić · Ubiquity Press eBooks · Croatia

This chapter provides an overview of the development of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Croatia, within the broader context of food citizenship and solidarity economy concepts. CSA has gained attention over the past 20-30 years due to increasing awareness of the need to change food politics regarding food security and sovereignty. In Croatia, initiators and actors of CSA groups have been pioneers in achieving food citizenship.

Benjamin Hennchen, Martina Schäfer · Frontiers in Sustainability · Global

A comparative study of three food system innovations — citizen shareholder companies, community-supported agriculture, and food co-ops — examining their inclusiveness, degree of member involvement, and quality of experienced connectedness. It draws on quantitative and qualitative data from an online survey, two focus group discussions, and a broad literature search. All three food innovations were found to show a rather low level of inclusiveness, although efforts are being made to overcome barriers to access. The innovations were found to generate social cohesion between different actors along the value-added chain, constituted differently in a more service-oriented versus a community-oriented model. The study concludes these innovations provide momentum toward the dominant food regime by rewarding producers for sustainable practices, establishing stronger producer-consumer relationships, and motivating consumers to assume shared responsibility, and considers the three innovations complementary for food system transitions.

Simone Schiller-Merkens · Organization · Global

A theoretical paper (2022, no specific region) examines forms of alternative economic organizing — cooperatives, post-growth organizations, common-good organizations, community-supported agriculture, transition towns, and ecovillages — that are described in organization and social-movement studies as "prefigurative," creating imaginaries of an alternative future while demonstrating viability through everyday practice. It argues that existing scholarship often leaves the meaning of prefiguration and its relationship to alternative organizing and anarchism unclear, and develops a definition of prefigurative organizing that distinguishes it from alternative organizing while foregrounding its political nature — its ties to multiple struggles, tensions, and conflicts. The paper then presents a systematic overview of types of struggles around prefigurative organizing with reference to exemplary research, and argues that studying prefigurative organizing requires an alternative praxis within academia itself.

Rosângela Oliveira Soares, Paulino Varela Tavares, Fátima Regina Zan, Artur Cristóvão, Manuel Luís Tibério · Desenvolvimento em Questão · Global

This study proposed a bibliometric analysis using pattern recognition based on peer-reviewed journal publications focusing on Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). Using a Web of Science dataset, publications from 1997 to 2019 were analyzed with semantic citation/co-citation metrics. The analysis identified three major themes—motivations, process, and context—in CSA research, indicating a growing trend in studies related to proximity networks, cooperation, alternative systems, and sustainable development.

Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Ágnes Neulinger, György Bárdos, Adrien Rigó, József Rácz, Szilvia Boros · British Food Journal · Global

This study qualitatively examined the influence of local food communities, specifically Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation, on health-related adaptivity and self-management practices. Based on semi-structured interviews with 35 participants, the findings suggest that local food communities can influence health in themes such as awareness of product origins, enhanced food-management capability, expanding applicability and usability of the food environment, and strengthening one's food-related self-image.

Eranjana Kathriarachchi, Dinuka Wijetunga · Sri Lanka Journal of Management Studies · Global

Consumer citizenship has gained attention, with consumers exhibiting citizenship behaviors in non-consumption arenas, beyond choice, purchase, and use. Such behaviors are evident in consumer involvement in organized movements related to organic farming and consumption, like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). Guided by Self-Determination Theory and current literature, this paper presents three propositions on how consumers may be motivated to engage in citizenship behaviors outside the domain of consumption, such as volunteering as evaluators in PGS.

Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Leah C. Volpe, Marilyn Sitaker, Emily H. Belarmino, Amari Sealey, Weiwei Wang, Florence Becot, Jared T. McGuirt, Alice S. Ammerman, Karla L. Hanson, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · Global

This study interviewed 24 CSA farmers and 20 full-pay CSA members about their perceptions and experiences with cost-offset Community-Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) models and specific cost-offset mechanisms, to understand the potential of CO-CSA for low-income households. Both farmers and members prioritized ensuring access to healthy food regardless of income level and generally favored member donations for funding CO-CSA. However, a commonly mentioned barrier was the potential time burden on CSA farmers for administering cost-offset programs, raising questions about economic viability.

Jasmine Lorenzini · · Global

This chapter discusses political consumerism and market-based activism, defining the latter to include political consumerism, food collectives like community-supported agriculture, and lifestyle activism such as veganism. It then examines different conceptions of social change in relation to these modes of action. Finally, the chapter presents transformative actions within the environmental movement, highlighting how political consumerism and food activism embody varied understandings and ideals of democracy.

Christina Gugerell, Takeshi Sato, Christine Hvitsand, Daichi Toriyama, Nobuhiro Suzuki, Marianne Penker · Agriculture · Global

This study proposed a framework to distinguish and quantitatively evaluate multiple dimensions of proximity in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Using principal component analysis on a multinational survey, various proximity items were aggregated, and their relationship with CSA attractiveness was examined via multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that relational proximity, encompassing trust, collaboration, and shared values/knowledge, is more important than spatial proximity for supporting alternative food networks like CSA.

Norbert Goldfield · · Israel

A chapter on an HATD-funded joint farming initiative between Israeli Jews and Bedouin in southern Israel, covering the geographic setting, the organizations involved, the initiative's activities, preliminary results and possible future directions. It cites prior US research on community-supported agriculture, including a randomized clinical trial reporting that CSA participation produced clinically meaningful improvements in diet quality, and describes White Hill Farm (WHF) as one of only a handful of efforts concretely promoting engagement between Israeli Bedouin and Israeli Jews amid ongoing tension between the two groups.

Cornelia Butler Flora, Corry Bregendahl · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Global

This study examines expectations and benefits in collaborative Community-Supported Agriculture (cCSAs) using the community capitals framework, surveying past and present producers and consumers from three of four cCSAs in Iowa. It found that participants who received multiple 'goods' beyond economic benefits, such as social, cultural, human, and political capital, were more likely to continue their associations and were more satisfied. cCSA structures that evolved to maximize multiple capitals for individual producers and consumers proved most sustainable, demonstrating the interactive nature of successful farmer-consumer relationships.

Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Bernadett Kis, György Bárdos · Magyar Pszichológiai Szemle · Hungary

This literature review explored the subjective aspects of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation. The methodology involved selecting papers with specific word combinations and further studying references and recommended articles. The review found that CSA participation can be interpreted not only through factual advantages but also through aspects like Similar Thinking, Locality (urban-rural axis), Personal Care, Lifestyle Change, and Rewriting of Schemes, which are considered equally important.

Steven C. Deller, David Lamie, Maureen Stickel · · Global

This review provides a critical analysis of current research on local and regional food networks, including urban farming projects. It reveals that many presumptions of the local food movement remain largely untested, and much of the current research lacks strong theoretical grounding and quantitative rigor. The review emphasizes the importance for practitioners to distinguish between objective, research-based information and speculative, advocacy-oriented analysis.

Michaël Pouzenc · Développement durable et territoires · Global

This study demonstrated that the "local to global relationship" in the territorialization of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) interacts with, rather than replaces, multiscalar territorialization. Through local observations in France and Mexico, combined with a literature review, a cartographic analysis of CSAs in Europe, and an analysis of their websites, the role of geographical scales implied by the convergence between the ecologization of practices and the territorialization of activities was clarified.