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Farming alone? What’s up with the “C” in community supported agriculture

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  • Antoinette Pole
  • Margaret Gray

Abstract

This study reconsiders the purported benefits of community found in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Using an online survey of members who belong to CSAs in New York, between November and December 2010, we assess members’ reasons for joining a CSA, and their perceptions of community within their CSA and beyond. A total of 565 CSA members responded to the survey. Results show an overwhelming majority of members joined their CSA for fresh, local, organic produce, while few respondents joined their CSA to build community, meet like-minded individuals or share financial risk with farmers. Members reported that they do not derive a strong sense of community from either their CSA or other forms of community, yet they volunteered at their CSA and appear to be engaged in activities within their communities, though the frequency of the latter is unknown. These data suggest New York CSAs are oriented toward the instrumental and functional models, which emphasize the economic aspects of farming rather than collaborative models, which foster community (Feagan and Henderson 2009 ). Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Antoinette Pole & Margaret Gray, 2013. "Farming alone? What’s up with the “C” in community supported agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 85-100, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:30:y:2013:i:1:p:85-100
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-012-9391-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Conner, David S., 2003. "Community Supported Agriculture Pricing and Promotion Strategies: Lessons from Two Ithaca, NY, Area Farms," EB Series 122132, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
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      • Martinez, Steve & Hand, Michael & Da Pra, Michelle & Pollack, Susan & Ralston, Katherine & Smith, Travis & Vogel, Stephen & Clarke, Shellye & Lohr, Luanne & Low, Sarah & Newman, Constance, 2010. "Local food systems: concepts, impacts, and issues," MPRA Paper 24313, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Robert Feagan & Amanda Henderson, 2009. "Devon Acres CSA: local struggles in a global food system," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 26(3), pages 203-217, September.
    5. Tegtmeier, Erin & Duffy, Michael, 2005. "Community Supported Agriculture (Csa) in the Midwest United States: A Regional Characterization," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12577, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
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    1. Emily H. Morgan & Michelle M. Severs & Karla L. Hanson & Jared McGuirt & Florence Becot & Weiwei Wang & Jane Kolodinsky & Marilyn Sitaker & Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts & Alice Ammerman & Rebecca A. Seg, 2018. "Gaining and Maintaining a Competitive Edge: Evidence from CSA Members and Farmers on Local Food Marketing Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-21, June.
    2. Si Tan & Weiping Chen, 2019. "Can members’ WeChat engagement affect relational outcomes in community‐supported agriculture? Empirical evidence from China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(1), pages 36-52, January.
    3. Patsy Kraeger & Rhonda G. Phillips & Jonathan H. Lubin & Jonathan Weir & Kristina Patterson, 2024. "Assessing Healthy Effects between Local Level Farmer’s Markets and Community-Supported Agriculture and Physical Well-Being at the State Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Sini Forssell & Leena Lankoski, 2017. "Navigating the tensions and agreements in alternative food and sustainability: a convention theoretical perspective on alternative food retail," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 513-527, September.
    5. Sini Forssell & Leena Lankoski, 2015. "The sustainability promise of alternative food networks: an examination through “alternative” characteristics," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(1), pages 63-75, March.
    6. Michael Vassalos & Zhifeng Gao & Lisha Zhang, 2017. "Factors Affecting Current and Future CSA Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Antonella Samoggia & Chiara Perazzolo & Piroska Kocsis & Margherita Del Prete, 2019. "Community Supported Agriculture Farmers’ Perceptions of Management Benefits and Drawbacks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, June.
    8. Thomas Krikser & Ingo Zasada & Annette Piorr, 2019. "Socio-Economic Viability of Urban Agriculture—A Comparative Analysis of Success Factors in Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-12, April.
    9. Pingyang Liu & Paul Gilchrist & Becky Taylor & Neil Ravenscroft, 2017. "The spaces and times of community farming," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 363-375, June.
    10. Lydia Zepeda & Anna Reznickova, 2017. "Innovative millennial snails: the story of Slow Food University of Wisconsin," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(1), pages 167-178, March.
    11. Roxana Bobulescu & Nhu Tuyên Lê & Claudio Vitari & Erin Whittingham, 2018. "Socio-economic and ecological transition in community supported agriculture: from the 'transitional' to the 'ideal' CSA," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) halshs-01923235, HAL.
    12. Sarah Bowen & Tad Mutersbaugh, 2014. "Local or localized? Exploring the contributions of Franco-Mediterranean agrifood theory to alternative food research," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 201-213, June.
    13. Roxana Bobulescu & Nhu Tuyên Lê & Claudio Vitari & Erin Whittingham, 2018. "Socio-economic and ecological transition in community supported agriculture: from the 'transitional' to the 'ideal' CSA," Post-Print halshs-01923235, HAL.
    14. Brian Obach & Kathleen Tobin, 2014. "Civic agriculture and community engagement," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 307-322, June.
    15. Claudio Vitari & Erin Whittingham, 2018. "Tackling Conventional Agriculture: The Institutionalization of Community Supported Agriculture's (CSA) Principles," Post-Print halshs-01923789, HAL.

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