Research & reports

Ryan E. Galt · Economic Geography · United States (California)

A study of 54 Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in California's Central Valley used qualitative and quantitative data to explain farmers' earnings. An ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed that farmers' age, number of employees, and CSA type strongly influence earnings. The study found that the moral economy of CSA often results in self-exploitation due to farmers' strong sense of obligation to members, despite allowing for economic rents.

A. Bryan Endres, Rachel Armstrong · · United States

This article discusses Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and 'community labor,' where customers participate in food production on farms. It highlights a paradox: traditional employment law, envisioning autonomous competition, makes little room for these novel relationships, potentially undermining CSA values and limiting its viability and growth. The authors suggest that employment law should develop a more nuanced view of relationships in the CSA context, supporting mutual gain and shared values over competition-based rules.

Vanna Gonzales, Nigel Forrest, Noreen Balos · Journal of Community Positive Practices · United States (Arizona)

This paper presents the first known case study of Gila Farm Cooperative (GFC), a U.S.-based marketing cooperative formed by refugees from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Founded in 2011 by the Phoenix International Refugee Committee, GFC has 22 members supporting Community Supported Agriculture in central Arizona. This three-month study, conducted in spring 2012, provided a descriptive analysis of GFC's structure and operational processes through participatory observation and in-depth interviews.

Adam Prince · · United States (California)

This chapter considers movements to transform the food system in the United States. In Oakland, California, a growing community of urban food producers and advocates is working to address food insecurity in historically underserved communities. Diverse enclaves in Oakland exhibit various forms of community-based food production, ranging from windowsill herb patches to rooftop projects and distributed farming networks utilizing vacant lots.

Kelsey Hall, Courtney Meyers, David L. Doerfert, Cindy Akers, Phillip Johnson · Journal of Applied Communications · United States (Texas)

This mixed-methods study explored how Texas CSA shareholders received local food information and how CSA owners recruited and retained members, given retention rates of 20-70% nationwide. Data from an online survey of three Texas CSAs and interviews with owners showed shareholders preferred daily/weekly information searches via websites and interpersonal communication. Owners used local media, events, and word-of-mouth for recruitment, and weekly email newsletters for retention.

Marisa DeCandido · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · United States (New York City)

This project describes the "green sisters" movement and its presence at Homecoming Farm, a Community-Supported Agriculture project in Amityville, New York. The green sisters movement involves Catholic nuns dedicated to environmental education and sustainability, exemplified by Homecoming Farm, an organic farm created in 1992 by the Sisters of Saint Dominic. The story is presented through a five-part news series, based on six visits and interviews with eleven individuals at Homecoming Farm in the summer and fall of 2012.

Brandi Janssen · Anthropology of Work Review · United States

This paper explores labor strategies for producers in the growing local food sector, where increased demand creates challenges for scaling operations. A major obstacle to growth is access to reliable, affordable labor. The paper discusses typical options for obtaining and retaining labor, including paid employees, volunteers, and interns, noting that each strategy has social and economic advantages and disadvantages for producers and the community.

Sara A. Quandt, Janae Dupuis, Caitlin A. Fish, Ralph B. D’Agostino · Preventing Chronic Disease · United States

This randomized, controlled feasibility study evaluated the feasibility of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) intervention in an underresourced urban community in the United States. Fifty low-income women with children participated, with the intervention group (25 participants) receiving fresh produce and educational sessions for 16 weeks. A significant increase in household fruit and vegetable inventory was observed in the intervention group, but increases in consumption were not significant. Challenges included transportation and work schedules, yet most participants expressed interest in continued participation.

Kyle Kessler, Seth Umbenhauer, Alison R. Noble · Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science · United States (Harrisburg)

Eight soil samples were collected from an urban land plot in Harrisburg, PA, to determine concentrations of copper, nickel, zinc, and lead and assess suitability for an urban garden. While copper, nickel, and zinc concentrations were below EPA recommended limits, lead concentrations ranged from 26 ± 1 mg/kg to 402+ mg/kg, with some samples exceeding EPA standards for heavy metals in home and vegetable gardens. This indicates potential lead contamination in the soil.

Tim Glaza · ISU Red - Research and eData (Illinois State University) · United States

It has been a persistent challenge for community-based, small-to-medium-scale fruit and vegetable farmers to meet high demand for locally sourced food. Such producers have relied mainly on farm stands, farmers' markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSAs) to meet demand, but despite substantial growth in the number of farmers' markets and CSA subscriptions, a gap remains between community-based food producers and institutional, wholesale, and retail buyers. Regional food hubs are presented as a potentially critical piece for filling this gap. The Edible Economy Project, in partnership with Heartland Community College, worked on a regional food hub network project in central Illinois aimed at creating a more efficient and vibrant community-based food system. Per the USDA definition cited, a regional food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products, primarily from local and regional producers, to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand; food hubs are described as helping buyers and farmers connect and transact more efficiently. This piece places the community-based food system within the broader green economy and uses a case study approach to explain how a community with diverse stakeholders may develop a food hub.

A. Bryan Endres, Rachel Armstrong · Food Studies An Interdisciplinary Journal · United States

A legal analysis (Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2013) of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the United States—where CSA participation more than doubled between 2004 and 2009—examines "volunteer-for-food" arrangements and unpaid internships that many CSA farms offer in exchange for labor. It finds that these arrangements do not align cleanly with federal and state employment laws governing minimum wage and workers' compensation, creating a mismatch between the community-participation model embedded in CSAs and the legal regimes that govern them. The paper identifies potential points of flexibility within existing law, explores mechanisms for farmers to avoid regulatory liability, and concludes with policy recommendations to eliminate regulations it characterizes as scale-inappropriate for CSA expansion.

Joseph N. Cohen, S. Gearhart, Elizabeth Garland · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · United States (New York City)

A prospective cohort study in New York City investigated whether Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) participation increased fruit and vegetable consumption and home-cooked meals. Among 583 individuals who completed both surveys, CSA members showed a statistically significant increase of 2.2 servings of fruit and vegetables per week and 4.9 home-cooked meals per month compared to non-members. CSA participation was also associated with subjective reports of increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Alan Hunt, Gary C. Matteson · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

Agricultural producers are diversifying their marketing channels, but the U.S. Census of Agriculture primarily tracks only direct-to-consumer sales, organic sales, and community supported agriculture farms. This paper proposes that administrative reporting changes in the 2012 census and the introduction of new questions for the 2017 census can improve observations on marketing channel usage at both farm-level and sector-level with greater precision.

Bruntfield, Jaclyn Rose · Scholars Archive - University at Albany (University at Albany, State University of New York) · United States (Columbia County, NY)

This abstract discusses the increased public scrutiny of food origins in the U.S. and the growing demand for alternatives to the mainstream food system, as evidenced by more farmers markets, organic products, and Community Supported Agriculture programs. It notes that post-WWII industrialization of food production, while providing inexpensive food, has potentially compromised people's relationships with food. Currently, only one percent of Americans identify farming as their primary occupation.

Siqing Chen · APCBEE Procedia · United States

This paper uses a housing development project in the United States to exemplify how civic agriculture can be integrated into urban development through forms like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), kitchen gardens, and farmer's markets. This integration creates a local food web, enhancing civic engagement and welfare among residents, maintaining landscape authenticity, strengthening ecosystem services, reducing carbon footprint, and promoting long-term sustainability. Civic agriculture represents a transition in agricultural practice from large-scale commodity enterprises to small-scale, self-sustaining civic activities.

Cristina Connolly, H. Allen Klaiber, Connolly, Cristina, Klaiber, H. Allen · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · United States

This study evaluated consumers' willingness to pay for organic certification programs using price and attribute data from 188 CSA farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A semi-log hedonic analysis revealed a willingness to pay approximately 9% more for organic branding compared to natural, translating to an additional $48 per summer season share. However, no premium was found for competing certification programs.

Julie L. Self, Becky Handforth, Janelle Hartman, Corey McAuliffe, Elizabeth Noznesky, Rebecca J. Schwei, Laura Whitaker, Amanda Wyatt, Amy Girard · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States

A student-driven, community-engaged learning course was developed to enhance student understanding of complex food system determinants and food choices. The course, guided by the socio-ecological model, involved students collaborating with faculty and community partners to define its objectives and curriculum. It featured student-led modules on food preferences, agriculture systems, food access, and agricultural policy, alongside community-engaged research projects that examined food distribution models in metro Atlanta and identified strategies to improve access to healthy food in low-income areas.

Corey McAuliffe, Laura Whitaker, Aimee Webb Girard · The FASEB Journal · United States (Georgia)

Interviews with farmers' market managers, farmers, CSA managers, and a cooperative market manager in DeKalb County, Georgia, assessed challenges in local food accessibility. Qualitative data revealed significant financial barriers to production, prohibitive policies, and limitations in marketing and distribution systems. Environmental factors also limited the accessibility of local foods through farmers' markets and CSAs.

Shannon Lawrence, John Rayfield · ˜The œAgricultural education magazine · United States

This article discusses the merits and potential of incorporating school gardens into agricultural education programs in the United States. It notes that school gardens, a national movement since 1891, offer opportunities for agricultural literacy, community outreach, and STEM integration. The ideas presented are based on conversations with agriculture teachers, observations, experiences, and reflections.

Kurt B. Waldman, David Conner, John A. Biernbaum, Michael W. Hamm, Adam Montri · HortTechnology · United States (Michigan)

Quantitative and qualitative data from 12 novice hoophouse farmers in Michigan were analyzed over a 3-year period to understand factors associated with profitable use of these structures. There was wide variation in labor inputs and effective wages, and not all farmers utilized hoophouses between outdoor seasons. However, high wage earners tended to extend production into off-peak months, hire labor at higher wages, and spend less time on crop maintenance, appearing to harvest more efficiently.

William E. Fry, M. T. McGrath, Abby Seaman, Thomas A. Zitter, A. McLeod, Giovanna Danies, Ian M. Small, Kevin Myers, Kathryne L. Everts, Amanda J. Gevens, Beth K. Gugino, Sara B. Johnson, Howard S. Judelson, Jean B. Ristaino, Pamela Roberts, Gary A. Secor, K. W. Seebold, K. Snover-Clift, A. Wyenandt, Niklaus J. Grünwald, Christine D. Smart · Plant Disease · United States

The 2009 tomato late blight pandemic in the eastern United States resulted in significant crop losses for many home gardeners and organic producers. This event led to widespread questions regarding its causes and differences from previous epidemics.

Katherine Johns-Galvin · · United States

This research examined the cycle of poor nutrition in the Frog Hollow neighborhood, Hartford, Connecticut, an urban food desert characterized by limited access to affordable, healthy foods. It argues that the growth of farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture, and community gardens has reintroduced affordable, attainable healthy foods to the neighborhood. This introduction of locally grown produce at affordable prices has enabled the Frog Hollow neighborhood to begin addressing food insecurity.

Ryan E. Galt, Libby O'Sullivan, Jessica Beckett, Colleen C. Hiner · California Agriculture · United States (California)

This study investigated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations in California's Central Valley and surrounding foothills, United States. Surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with 54 CSA farmers and two CSA organizers, focusing on CSA type, economic viability, farmer characteristics, and farm attributes. Findings revealed that 54% of CSAs reported profitability, farmers were generally younger, better educated, and more likely to be women, and farms were small, utilizing agroecological methods.

Sima Patel, Rod MacRae · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · Canada

A land parcel analysis in Toronto, Canada identified 77 parcels totaling 1,270 acres (514 hectares) of potential land for community supported agriculture (CSA) farming — about 1 percent of the city's surface area — with much of it located in northeast Toronto. Five commercially viable scenario types were constructed with varying land use, zoning, institutional and residential characteristics, but considerable challenges remain for widespread implementation, leading to policy and program recommendations including pilot projects, institutional linkages, program supports, training and extension.

Kynda R. Curtis, Voravee Chakreeyarat, J. Dominique Gumirakiza · Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) · United States

A brief discussion piece frames growing interest in local food systems as a potential response to challenges in the globalized food system and as an avenue for promoting agricultural and rural sustainability. It does not present a specific research method or findings.