Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
410 results(8 / 17)
Postdevelopment alternatives in the North
2019Daniel Bendix, Franziska Müller, Aram Ziai · · Global
This study examines alternatives to 'development' in the Global North, focusing on community-supported agriculture (CSA), a tenement trust, and the anti-coal movement. It investigates how these cases align with postdevelopment ideas such as non-capitalist practices, new commons, local knowledge, and a break with colonialism. The research questions the universalization of Western development models and their historical hegemony.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWorking the fields: The organization of labour in community supported agriculture
2019David Watson · Organization · United Kingdom
This article explores the experience and organization of labor within a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme in the United Kingdom, drawing on Marx’s concept of alienation. It presents a case study of how labor in a CSA scheme counteracts experiences of alienation created by capitalism and considers how this might inform the reorganization of labor in the food system more generally.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityA snapshot of Community Supported Agriculture in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand 2018
2019Bronwyn Wilkes · ANU Open Research (Australian National University) · Australia, New Zealand
This report presents preliminary descriptive results from a survey of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018. The survey aimed to gather characteristics of CSA farms operating in the region to capture a point-in-time snapshot. The survey was not intended to provide detailed qualitative information regarding the CSA experience in the region, which is anticipated to be explored in a future series of interviews.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsFood Activism and Citizens’ Democratic Engagements: What Can We Learn from Market-Based Political Participation?
2019Jasmine Lorenzini · Politics and Governance · Global
This article analyzes the action repertoire of food democracy to assess the influence of market-based logics on various forms of food activism. It addresses which forms of political participation citizens use to democratize the food regime, which conceptions of democracy relate to these forms, and which critiques of market-based politics apply. The article highlights the widespread risk of unequal participation, crowding out, commodification, and state retreat across forms of participation used to democratize food regimes.
Food sovereignty & justiceCommunityCSA & TeikeiSustainability as business strategy in community supported agriculture
2018Daniele 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.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityFood educationCommunity‐supported agriculture in the United States: Social, ecological, and economic benefits to farming
2018Mark 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.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunityThe creation of legitimacy in grassroots organisations: A study of Dutch community-supported agriculture
2018Laura M. Van Oers, Wouter Boon, Ellen H.M. Moors · Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions · Netherlands
This study investigated how grassroots organizations, specifically Dutch Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), construct legitimacy for their survival. It found that CSAs predominantly work to garner legitimacy from their members, and that survival seems associated with social capital building. A moralization of food provision was observed, which explains why new and possibly inconvenient terms of exchange still amass legitimacy. As external audiences remain at a distance, they often misunderstand CSA, its deliverables, and impacts on social welfare.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityWelfareHuman Practice Centered Design : Service Designing Practice Transition - Community Supported Agriculture as a Case Study
2018Christiana Lackner · KiltHub Repository · Global
This project explored new ways for designers to model human behavior by using social practices, an approach relatively unexplored in design. It extended social practice models into service design to create tools and approaches that support the development of social practices. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a system where community members buy shares from local farmers for weekly produce, was used as a case study to test these new approaches.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsDirect Marketing Strategies and Farmers’ Technical Efficiency in U.S. Agriculture
2018Gregory 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.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainThe Role and Significance of Coordinators for Community-Supported Agriculture
2018Kota OGUCHI · The Annals of Japan Association for Urban Sociology · Japan (Saitama City)
This article studies the impact of coordinators for Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, using the Kome Mame project in Saitama City, Japan, as a case study. The Kome Mame project is a collaborative effort involving organic farms, a for-profit company, and an NPO, where the NPO coordinates matchmaking between farmers and companies, builds mechanisms for distribution channel development, and facilitates human-resource exchanges and stakeholder relationships. The study suggests that the coordinator's role as a manager of the relationship between food and agriculture will become increasingly important, and the challenge is whether this role can be established as a socially recognized profession.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityUrban–rural linkageShort food supply chain
2018Agni Kalfagianni, Sophia Skordili · · Global
This book explores the potential of short food supply chains (SFSCs) to address environmental, social, and economic challenges in the global agri-food system. It demonstrates that SFSCs, including farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture, offer innovative forms of collective action for local sustainable transformations. The book concludes that alternatives to the dominant agri-food system are possible and thriving, but require concerted effort and collaboration to realize their full potential.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood miles & supply chainFood sovereignty & justiceA PROBLEM-BASED APPROACH OF COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE WITHIN SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS BASED ON A WESTERN TRANSDANUBIAN SURVEY
2018Károly Kacz, Ádám Varga · Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists · Europe
A survey in the Western Transdanubia region investigated major problems in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) within short food supply chains, involving farmer organizations and consumers. The analysis identified the insufficient market power of CSA organizations as the most influential factor. This finding suggests a significant constraint on the effectiveness of CSA models in the region.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceNutrition
2018G. R. SCHMIDT · · Global
This chapter discusses the role of urban and community-supported agriculture (CSA) in developed countries, noting that these initiatives, while struggling, contribute to nutrition, personal agency, values, and green education. It also addresses the less immediate connections between wild regional resources, wild biodiversity, and their potential for agricultural innovation and nutrition.
CSA & TeikeiHealthFood educationCommunityA sustainable food-system?
2018Annie Svensson · · Sweden
This research investigated the economic sustainability of 14 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Sweden through interviews. The study found that Swedish CSA farms had difficulties covering labor costs and suffered from inefficiency, indicating weak economic sustainability. The study did not identify specific approaches or business models that were more conducive to higher profitability.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityDefining alternative food networks: A systematic literature review.
2018Rosario Michel‐Villarreal, Martin Hingley, Ilenia Bregoli · Lincoln Repository (University of Lincoln) · Global
This systematic literature review aims to clarify the concept of Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) by conducting a thematic analysis of academic definitions. The literature indicates a lack of clarity regarding AFNs, which are often defined by what they are not, rather than what they are. The study seeks to address this knowledge gap and contribute to theory and empirical development.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityEconomicsEating Our Way to Sustainability? Leisure, Food and Community Economic Development
2018Jennifer Sumner · Sustainability · Global
This article reviews and synthesizes literature on food, leisure, sustainability, and community economic development to answer whether we can eat our way to sustainability. It begins with John Loxley's approach to community economic development and links the concept of sustainability with McMurtry’s civil commons. The article examines examples of food-related leisure activities like community gardens, CSAs, gleaning, and community kitchens, concluding that sustainability can be achieved if we choose activities that also enable others to eat.
CommunityEconomicsCSA & TeikeiClimate changeOrganising food differently: Towards a more-than-human ethics of care for the Anthropocene
2018Jonathan Beacham · Organization · United Kingdom
This ethnographic study explored three community supported agriculture schemes in the north-west of England to understand how Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) can foster a more-than-human ethic of care for the Anthropocene. Drawing on the diverse economies framework and feminist ethics of care literature, the study argues that AFNs offer open-ended organizational forms that can play a central role in this endeavor.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityClimate changeFood sovereignty & justiceUrban Agriculture, Uneven Development, and Gentrification in Portland, Oregon
2018Brian 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.
Equity & displacementCommunityCSA & TeikeiPolicyEconomicsMaking Local Food Work: The Challenges and Opportunities of Today’s Small Farmers by Brandi Janssen
2018Timothy 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.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceWhat Prohibit CSA Membership Renewals? Identifying Barriers of CSA Participation
2018Jun‐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.
Economic viabilityCSA & TeikeiEconomicsCommunitySolidarity: a Key Element in Alternative Food Networks
2018Laura Carlsona, Vera Bitsch, Carlsona, Laura, Bitsch, Vera · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Germany
This study used a grounded theory approach to examine the importance of solidarity in four alternative food network (AFN) projects in former East Germany, including two community supported agriculture projects, one cooperative grocery, and one urban agriculture project. Data were collected through document analysis and participant observation. Results indicate that although solidarity is explicitly mentioned by actors and in official documents, its conception and implementation vary across initiatives, influenced by individuals, local conditions, and external institutions.
CommunityEconomicsCSA & TeikeiFood sovereignty & justiceA Primer on Local Food Systems
2018Amber 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.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceRedes alimentares alternativas e potencialidade ao desenvolvimento do capital social
2018Ronaldo Tavares de Souza, Eduardo de Lima Caldas · Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura · Global
Based on a systematic review of 45 articles, this study examined how alternative food networks can foster social capital development. The review identified five types of networks: own production, basket schemes, direct sales, community supported agriculture, and solidarity purchase groups. Reflection on observed examples indicated that groups formed by consumers showed the greatest potential for social capital development, followed by producer-started groups, basket schemes, and finally, production for self-consumption.
CSA & TeikeiCommunityFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsPROMOTE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS USING E-COMMUNITY SUPPORTED SYSTEM
2018Amit Salunke, Ms. Shradha Shinde, Ms. Aishwarya Tone · International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology · Global
A web and Android e-Community Supported Agriculture (e-CSA) system was developed using the software development life cycle. A survey on the impact of local agricultural products through this application indicated benefits for both customers and farmers. Customers gain fair prices, fresh organic products, and access to rare items, while farmers can increase sales, minimize loss, and improve transportation control, contributing to local economic growth.
CSA & TeikeiDigital agricultureEconomicsCommunityPreserving Community Agriculture in a Global Economy
2018T.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.
CSA & TeikeiEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkage