Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
410 results(6 / 17)
An examination of adaptations of direct marketing channels and practices by Maryland fruit and vegetable farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic
2021Grace H. Bachman, Sara N. Lupolt, Mariya Strauss, Ryan David Kennedy, Keeve E. Nachman · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Maryland)
This study investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maryland fruit and vegetable farmers and their adaptations of direct-to-consumer marketing channels. Interviews with 20 farm owners/managers revealed that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmers' markets, and pick-your-own channels provided high stability and financial security. Distribution channels incorporating online marketplaces with prepacked pre-orders were a notable strength for highly adaptive farmers. Common challenges included increased administrative workload, concerns about raising food prices during a crisis, and environmental concerns regarding additional packaging.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunity“DO ALIMENTO, COMO QUE PLANTA, O QUE FAZ”: ETNOGRAFIA DE UMA COMUNIDADE DE AGRICULTURA EM SÃO CARLOS/ SP
2021Tainá Souza Santos · · Brazil (São Carlos)
This paper investigates knowledge practices within the Community Supporting Agriculture of São Carlos, Brazil, through the words of farmer Dina. The research, conducted from August 2019 to October 2020, relates ethnographic material to contemporary anthropological discussions on ecology and knowledge. It also compares Dina's agroecological production techniques with the production of ethnographic writing.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityOrganic cycleFarm Type and High Tunnel Management: Connections between Farm Characteristics and High Tunnel Outcomes in Indiana
2021Analena Bruce, Elizabeth Maynard, Julia Valliant, James Farmer · HortTechnology · United States (Indiana)
An analysis of survey and interview data examined how farm characteristics affect the outcomes of growing specialty crops in high tunnels in Indiana. Three farm types (alternative food and agriculture enterprises, mixed enterprise, and side enterprise) adopted distinct approaches to high tunnel integration and management. Alternative food and agriculture enterprise farmers, who made high tunnels central to their business, showed higher capacity use and greater financial return compared to mixed and side enterprise farmers who invested less time and labor.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsUrban–rural linkageOffsetting the cost of community-supported agriculture (CSA) for low-income families: perceptions and experiences of CSA farmers and members
2021Stephanie 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.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsWelfarePolitical consumerism and food activism
2021Jasmine 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.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityAlternative = transformative? Investigating drivers of transformation in alternative food networks in Germany
2021Felix Zoll, Kathrin Specht, Rosemarie Siebert · Sociologia Ruralis · Germany
To investigate drivers of transformation in alternative food networks (AFNs) in Germany, interviews were conducted with producers and consumers in three AFN models: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), food co-operatives, and self-harvest gardens, followed by qualitative content analysis. Participants in CSA and food co-ops reported a strong reconnection between producers and consumers, indicating transformative potential, while self-harvest gardeners primarily sought individual capacity building and access to their own garden. AFN participation was suggested to foster incremental transformation towards more sustainable food practices and a respective value system.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceA Socially-Based Redesign of Sustainable Food Practices: Community Supported Agriculture in Italy
2021Alessandra Piccoli, Adanella Rossi, Angela Genova · Sustainability · Italy
To understand the potential of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model in Italy, two investigations were conducted in 2019 and 2020, analyzing structural and organizational aspects, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Findings indicate that CSAs represent a radically innovative experience capable of redefining production and consumption practices, demonstrating remarkable resilience due to their common value basis and strong interdependence and solidarity among members.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsLegal Instruments to Support Local Food Systems in United States Law
2021Anna Kapała · Comparative Law Review · United States
This study analyzed federal, state, and local regulations in US law to identify instruments supporting local food systems (LFS), including food safety, zoning, tax law, and federal programs. It found that US law lacks a systematic approach to LFS support, but identified legislative tools such as food safety exemptions, sales tax exemptions, local zoning laws for urban agriculture, and federal grant programs.
PolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceKnow the Farmer That Feeds You: A Cross-Country Analysis of Spatial-Relational Proximities and the Attractiveness of Community Supported Agriculture
2021Christina 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.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsCollaborative Community-supported Agriculture: Balancing Community Capitals for Producers and Consumers
2020Cornelia 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.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsA közösség által támogatott mezőgazdálkodás szubjektív aspektusai
2020Ilona 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.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityHealthUrban–rural linkageLocal foods systems and community economic development
2020Steven 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.
Methodological critiqueEconomicsPolicyCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceArticuler un « penser global » et un « agir local » : la territorialisation des « Community Supported Agriculture »
2020Michaël 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.
CSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsCommunityCommodification & countermovement : community-supported agriculture (CSA) : a case study in Minas Gerais, Brazil
2020Daniele Eckert Matzembacher, Fábio Bittencourt Meira · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil (Minas Gerais)
This case study in Minas Gerais, Brazil, examined Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a countermovement to the commodification of agriculture, using Karl Polanyi's theoretical framework. Analyzing the CSA Alfa case, the study found a coexistence of market exchange and reciprocity, where economic activity is intertwined with social aspects like friendship and commitment. CSA appears to manifest a countermovement by enhancing individuals' relative autonomy and increasing social cohesion among participating groups.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEcological Resilience of Food Systems in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
2020James Worstell · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Global
This paper examines the resilience of food systems during the COVID-19 disruption. It notes trends such as direct food delivery, online farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), backyard food production, expansion of seed producers and plant nurseries, and increased home cooking. These trends are viewed as complex adaptive systems.
CSA & TeikeiDIYClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceContext-specific notions and practices of ‘solidarity’ in food procurement networks in Lombardy (Italy) and Massachusetts (USA)
2020Cristina Grasseni · · Italy, United States (Massachusetts)
This chapter compares and contrasts context-specific notions and practices of 'solidarity' within collaborative networks organizing alternative food procurement in Lombardy, Italy, and Massachusetts, USA, based on unpublished ethnography from 2011-2014. It juxtaposes Italian Solidarity Purchase Groups with the US solidarity economy network in the context of the Boston local food movement and Massachusetts community-supported agriculture. The chapter demonstrates how the meaning of solidarity in collective food procurement is context-bound.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsMaking community-supported agriculture accessible to low-income families: findings from the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids process evaluation
2020Jennifer Garner, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Karla L. Hanson, Alice S. Ammerman, Jane Kolodinsky, Marilyn Sitaker, Rebecca A. Seguin‐Fowler · Translational Behavioral Medicine · United States
A process evaluation of the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids (F3HK) randomized trial, conducted across 4 states and 12 farms, assessed whether cost-offset community-supported agriculture could improve diet quality among children in low-income families. Intervention households (n=305) purchased a 50% subsidized share of local produce and were invited to nutrition classes. Results showed the mean CSA season was 21 weeks, with a median CSA pickup rate of 88% of the weeks. Most adults (77%) and children (54%) attended at least one class, and 82% of caregivers reported consuming most or all produce.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityHealthWelfareFogyasztói jóllét a hazai alternatív élelmiszerellátási hálózatokban
2020Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Ágnes Neulinger, Fanni Bársony, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Natasha Gjorevska, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Orsolya Lazányi, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, György Pataki, Sándor Takács, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Anna Török, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem · Marketing & Menedzsment · Hungary (Budapest)
This study investigated subjective well-being (SWB) among 23 consumers of alternative food networks (AFNs) in Budapest through in-depth qualitative interviews. Participation in AFNs was found to contribute to consumer well-being, yet some AFN characteristics negatively influenced consumer SWB. Differences were detected between new and experienced users, users with different motivations, and across different types of AFNs.
CommunityCSA & TeikeiHealthA Potential Sustainable Pathway for Community-Supported Agriculture in Taiwan: The Consumer Perspective in a Farmers’ Market
2020Punnaros Pisarn, Man‐Keun Kim, Shang‐Ho Yang · Sustainability · Taiwan
This pilot study investigated consumers' willingness to participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at a farmers' market in Taiwan. Analyzing 320 survey responses collected from a farmers' market, results showed that respondents are willing to pay and share upfront payment risks with farmers as CSA members. Flexible contract length and budget were identified as considerations for implementing CSA programs in Taiwan.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceA framework for recognizing diversity beyond capitalism in agri-food systems
2020Olga Vincent, Giuseppe Feola · Journal of Rural Studies · Global
This paper proposes and illustrates a framework for recognizing capitalist, alternative capitalist, and non-capitalist configurations in agri-food systems. Informed by poststructuralist theories, the framework includes dimensions such as ontology, economic relations, relation with the State, and knowledge. Its application to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cases shows the coexistence of capitalist, alternative-capitalist, or non-capitalist elements within CSA initiatives.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceSustainable agriculture trough regional solidary in global markets
2020Wellbrock Wanja, Daniela Ludin, Ludwig Lisa N, Kristina Muhlfeld, Wolfgang Gerstlberger · Journal of Applied and Physical Sciences · Global
This paper examines whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a solution to the dilemma of farmers needing to operate both economically and sustainably. Through an expert interview and a survey of members, the study identifies problems in the realization of a CSA and provides possible solutions.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceFuture research directions
2020Ferne Edwards, Anitra Nelson · · Global
This chapter suggests future research directions in food for degrowth studies, drawing from a collection of case studies and critiques. It offers transdisciplinary theoretical and practical approaches and key research questions, covering topics like household self-provisioning, collective endeavors, networks, and degrowth perspectives on the circular economy and food waste. The chapter proposes research questions related to accessibility, visibility, temporality, spatiality, and various measures.
DIYCSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceComunidade que sustenta a agricultura: segurança alimentar e nutricional na agricultura urbana de Sete Lagoas (MG)
2020Glauco Régis Florisbelo, Angelina Moreira Melo, Alair Ferreira de Freitas, Pinheiro, Daniel Calbino · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Brazil
This study analyzed how the implementation of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in an urban community garden in Sete Lagoas (MG), Brazil, contributed to food and nutritional security for consumers and increased the income of family farmers. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with farmers and questionnaires administered to consumers. The results demonstrated that the CSA strengthened social relations between farmers and consumers, added elements of food and nutritional security, and improved the income of farming families.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsHarvest of the Month for Early Childhood Education: Parent Perspectives
2020Christine Lux, Brianna Routh, Lacy Stephens · Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · United States
This exploratory study surveyed 21 parents from a campus-based preschool in the northwest United States during the 2017-2018 school year to understand the impact of the "Harvest of the Month" program on children's nutrition behavior at home. Findings indicated that a variety of program foods were served and consumed at home, but parents prioritized knowing food origins over serving local foods. Parents' knowledge of farm to ECE, reported farmer's market purchases, and CSA participation were limited, suggesting a need for targeted parent education.
Limited or null effectFood educationHealthCSA & TeikeiFood miles & supply chainPopulation health impact and cost-effectiveness of community-supported agriculture among low-income US adults: A microsimulation analysis
2020M. Petrie, S. Basu, E. Sayer, R. Bellin, J. O apos Neill, S.A. Berkowitz · UNC Libraries · United States
This study estimated the population-level effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a subsidized community-supported agriculture (CSA) intervention in the United States. A microsimulation model developed in 2019 utilized national demographic, biomedical, and dietary data (NHANES, 2013-2016) and a randomized trial (Massachusetts, 2017-2018). Two interventions were modeled: an unconditional cash transfer ($300/year) and a subsidized CSA ($300/year subsidy), both of which were shown to reduce discounted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for cardiovascular disease and diabetes complications. Both interventions had negative incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, implying cost savings to society.
CSA & TeikeiHealthEconomicsWelfare