Research & reports

Jared T. McGuirt, Marilyn Sitaker, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Alice S. Ammerman, Jane Kolodinsky, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This study examined the sociodemographic and geospatial context of cost-offset community supported agriculture (CO-CSA) pickup locations in relation to low-income customer residential locations across 23 pickup sites in four U.S. states (New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington). Using GIS and interviews, it was found that pickup sites were an average of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from customers’ homes, further than the supermarket (2.9 miles or 4.7 km). Farmers reported efforts to select convenient locations, but CO-CSA customers expressed mixed levels of accessibility.

Karla L. Hanson, Leah C. Volpe, Jane Kolodinsky, Grace Hwang, Weiwei Wang, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Marilyn Sitaker, Alice S. Ammerman, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Nutrients · United States

A cross-sectional study in August 2017 surveyed cost-offset Community Supported Agriculture (CO-CSA) applicants (purchasers n=46, non-purchasers n=18) and a comparison sample (n=105) of low-income adults with children. CO-CSA applicants reported better knowledge, self-efficacy, home habits, and diet than the comparison sample. Among applicants, purchasers and non-purchasers had equivalent knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, but children in purchaser households consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables (4.14 vs. 1.83 cups, p = 0.001).

Zoë Plakias, Iryna Demko, Ani L. Katchova · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · United States

Using the 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey, collected by the USDA in 2016, and binomial and multinomial logit regressions, this study examined which farm and farmer characteristics predict participation in direct marketing channels and the choice of particular channel combinations among US farmers. It found evidence of product-specific barriers to participation in certain channels: livestock producers were less likely than other farmers to sell directly to retailers, while vegetable farmers were less likely to sell to intermediaries. Beginning farmers were more likely than established farmers to sell directly to retailers but less likely to sell to intermediaries.

Antonella Samoggia, Chiara Perazzolo, Piroska Kocsis, Margherita Del Prete · Sustainability · United States

Drawing on data from 35 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers based in the United States and Hungary, this study used one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, principal component analysis, and multiple multivariate linear regressions to examine how farmers perceive the benefits and drawbacks of managing a CSA farm, and whether that perception differs across the two countries. US and Hungarian farmers held broadly similar positive perceptions of CSA management, particularly regarding food quality, nutritional value, environmental benefits, and community benefits, while the main differences between the two groups centered on economic, financial, and management perceptions. The study concludes that CSA success depends on the ability to involve members, that farmers' management skills need to develop to sustain communication and community-engagement practices, and that the central concern for CSA is ensuring farmers and labor receive fair income and a living wage, requiring a better balance between monetary and non-monetary benefits.

Daniele Eckert Matzembacher, Fábio Bittencourt Meira · British Food Journal · Brazil

This exploratory case study investigated two Brazilian Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives over two years and six months using participant observation, ethnography, interviews, and secondary data. It found that the analyzed CSA activities integrate social, environmental, and economic sustainability dimensions, providing guaranteed sales and higher incomes for producers, and emphasizing sustainability education for consumers. The findings cannot be extrapolated to broader populations due to the exploratory nature of the study.

Mark Paul · Journal of Agrarian Change · United States (Massachusetts)

This paper evaluates the livelihoods of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts from their perspective. Results indicate that while CSA farmers earn more farm income than other U.S. farms on average, they still earn far below the median national income and generally fail to earn a living wage. Despite these economic findings, farmers stressed the importance of broader social, ecological, and economic benefits to farming. The study concludes that CSA has largely failed to provide adequate livelihoods for farmers to date.

Gregory Astill, Darlington Sabasi, Johnson Gwatipedza, Astill, G., Sabasi, D., Gwatipedza, J. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study examined the relationship between direct marketing strategies and technical efficiency among U.S. farmers using stochastic frontier analysis. On average, farmers employing direct marketing strategies were found to be less technically efficient than those who do not. However, for the largest quantile of growers, direct marketing users were more technically efficient.

Brian Elliott · Environmental Ethics · United States

This paper argues that Portland, Oregon's thriving urban agriculture scene, despite its reputation for sustainability, should be viewed as an adjunct to advanced neoliberal urban governance rather than a resistance movement against it. It critiques recent case studies that suggest the social sustainability of urban agriculture remains an open question, asserting that this view lacks a critical urban geography perspective. The study concludes that urban agriculture in Portland, on the whole, contributes to uneven development and gentrification.

Timothy J. Kidd · Great Plains research · United States (Iowa)

Based on qualitative research conducted from 2008 to 2012 in Iowa, this book illustrates the complexities and challenges faced by small farms producing local foods in a commodity-driven state. It provides case studies on the difficulties in balancing small farm profitability and social impacts for those involved in community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, and farm-to-school produce. The research also reveals that popular assumptions about local food, including consumers becoming informed advocates for sustainable agriculture, are oversimplifications.

Jun‐Hong Chen, Zhifeng Gao, Lisha Zhang, Chen, Junhong, Gao, Zhifeng, Zhang, Lisha · 2018 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2018, Jacksonville, Florida · United States

This study applied quantitative methods to identify barriers that prohibit CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) participation or factors affecting unsubscribe from CSA membership. Based on 780 responses collected from a national consumer survey, only 6% of the total sample were current CSA members. The top two reasons for unsubscribing from CSA membership were preferring farmer's markets and not cooking at home. On the other hand, the top two important factors for participation in CSA were supporting local and family farms.

Amber Heckelman · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

This book consolidates decades of research on the local food movement in the U.S. Midwest and Appalachia regions. It analyzes the diverse capacities and limitations of enterprises such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and food hubs, and offers a framework for assessing local food initiatives. The book aims to support the cultivation and expansion of local food systems by identifying strengths, weaknesses, and leverage points.

T.A. Lyson C.C. Geisler, Charles A. Schlough · · United States (New York City)

In New York, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) expanded from non-existent 10 years prior to 64 farms by 1996. These efforts have the potential to foster local economic development and maintain product diversity and quality. Increasing local food and agricultural product production and marketing can preserve farmland that might otherwise be unprofitable for the global marketplace, integrating it into the local community. This shifts decisions about local farmland from global market forces to local farmers and consumers.

Yuan Zhou, Zhou, Y. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Canada

This study analyzed Canadian Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) data to assess the impact of organic certification on CSA share prices. CSA farms self-identifying as organic charged a 13% premium over conventional farms, while certified organic CSA farms charged a 16% premium. These premiums were not statistically different, suggesting that organic certification does not increase the premium relative to uncertified organic, and CSA acts as a substitute for third-party certification.

Paula Fernandes de Brito, William John Hester, Tomé de Almeida e Lima, Lorena Monteiro dos Santos, Luísa Pinheiro, Jonathan Henrique da Silveira de Barros · Cadernos de Agroecologia · Brazil

This paper reports on a 2016 pilot project at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) to structure a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative. The project involved farmers and the academic community, aiming to foster agroecological knowledge through weekly food basket deliveries. A key finding was the limitations in attracting diverse groups from the academic community, despite the interest shown by participating farmers, staff, and "prosumers."

Angelina Moreira Melo, Daniel Calbino, Alair Ferreira de Freitas · Revista Ciência em Extensão · Brazil (Sete Lagoas)

This experience report analyzed the methodology used by extension agents in implementing the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in a community garden in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. Responding to producers' demand regarding production flow problems, CSA was introduced as a fair trade marketing alternative connecting consumers and producers through weekly sales of agroecological product baskets. The methodology focused on constructing participatory methods based on producers' reality and interests, with the autonomy given to subjects being a central point, leading to significant economic, social, and cultural contributions for those involved.

Elizabeth W. Cotter, Carla Teixeira, Annessa Bontrager, Kasharena Horton, Deyanira Soriano · Public Health Nutrition · United States (Washington, DC)

This study conducted focus groups with 28 adults in three affordable housing communities in Washington, D.C., USA, to understand low-income adults' attitudes towards participating in farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA), and nutrition education programming. The results revealed that adults living in urban, affordable housing communities desire access to healthy foods but are limited by cost. Programs could have a higher likelihood of success if they accept benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), are heavily marketed, and incorporate culturally relevant nutrition education components.

Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) growers in the United States may experience legal concerns and liabilities. This fact sheet aims to guide growers through steps to minimize these liabilities and manage possible risks associated with CSA operations. The presence of such concerns highlights a governance challenge for CSA growers.

Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler, Emily H. Morgan, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Florence Becot, Leah M. Connor, Jennifer Garner, Jared T. McGuirt · BMC Public Health · United States

Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) is a community-based, randomized intervention trial designed to assess the impact of subsidized community supported agriculture (CSA) coupled with nutrition education to prevent childhood obesity in low-income families and strengthen local agricultural economies. Conducted in New York, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington, the study targets low-income families with children aged 2-12 years. Primary outcomes include children's intake of fruits and vegetables, sugar and fat, and diet quality, with data collected over three years.

Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This fact sheet assists with financial knowledge and planning for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It explains how to develop a budget, price CSA shares using different strategies, and outlines payment options.

Gretel Van Wieren · Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology · United States

This paper explored religious approaches within the food and faith movement in the U.S. by examining the work of three religious, community-based farming projects. These projects are characterized by ritual practices and narrative tropes as they address social, ecological, political, and ethical challenges posed by current food systems. The study concluded that these religious farms should be considered sacred spaces for how they ritualize and symbolically interpret agricultural and food practices.

Jim Leap, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero, Darryl Wong · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · United States (California)

This guide focuses on producing mixed blocks of 30- to 60-day, direct sown and transplanted crops for direct market sales on California's Central Coast. It aims to improve cropping system efficiencies and economic viability for small-scale farms. The guide emphasizes managing the mixed crop production block as a whole, rather than providing specific crop information.

Jim Leap, Darryl Wong, Kirstin Yogg Comerchero · · United States (California)

This grower guide addresses the basic steps for organically growing peppers in California's Central Coast region. It notes that peppers are productive from July to October without season extension, are relatively easy to grow, and offer various marketing and culinary options. The guide also provides an overview of pepper varieties for specialty crop growers.

Kenna McMurray, Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

This fact sheet provides tips on effective communication tools for marketing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations. It focuses on delivering information to potential and current shareholders, engaging them, and gathering feedback.

Kelsey Hall, Roslynn Brain · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States (Utah)

This curriculum consists of seven modules aimed at fostering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Utah. It covers the fundamentals of CSA, marketing and outreach, management, pricing, crop planning, legal concerns for CSA operations, and additional resources.

Lisa M. Butler Harrington · Geographical Review · United States

This study in the United States identified connections to ideals of rurality in popular culture, despite the shrinking rural population. Based on literature, field observation, computer searches, and U.S. Census of Agriculture data, manifestations include rural tourism, small-scale farming, urban agriculture, farmers’ markets, and housing developments centered on farm activities. These idealized relationships with rurality are linked to health, well-being, nature connection, aesthetics, privacy, and nostalgia.