Factors Affecting the Dynamics of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Membership

Abstract

Community supported agriculture (CSA) serves as a platform for local producers, especially for small size farms, to sell fresh, local products directly to its members. CSA is an important approach to promote local economic growth and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Although CSA is widely accepted across the United States, the total number of CSA membership is still very low. It is important to determine the factors that affect the future development of CSA because of its social and environmental benefits. In this study, we analyze how the motivation, barriers, and methods of advertisement influence the participation dynamics of CSA by segmenting consumers based on their past, current, and future CSA participation. Based on a national survey with 795 responses, the results show that the younger generation, high-income families, and people who support sustainable agriculture are more likely to renew their CSA subscription. CSA members are found to be very sensitive to the time of food distribution, the price of products, and the location of CSA farms. Moreover, the impacts of perceived barriers of CSA participation and advertisement method vary based on respondents’ membership status. This paper sheds light on factors that influence various consumer groups and offers a more dynamic analysis of CSA consumer behavior. This analysis enhances understanding of CSA members’ preferences and could help CSA programs expand in the future and to better promote local food systems and sustainable agriculture.

The impact of customer ratings on consumer choice of fresh produce: A stated preference experiment approach

“…The results clearly demonstrate that participants distinguished the local berries from the berries identified at the state level no matter whether they were from the major strawberry production states or not. This is consistent with past research that consumers are willing to pay more for local food because they perceive local food as fresher and want to support local communities by purchasing local food (Chen et al 2019;Gao, Swisher & Zhao, 2012;Winter, 2003). Although the locally produced strawberries in our study were defined as "berries produced in the same state as it is marketed," it is surprising that for California and Florida residents, their WTP for local strawberries was much higher than that of California and Florida strawberries, respectively.…”

Social Innovation for Food Security and Tourism Poverty Alleviation: Some Examples From China

“…Similarly, the small-scale farmers are less successful when farming alone without utilizing community-supported platforms ( Savarese et al, 2020 ). As such, the fact that community-supported agriculture plays an essential role in facilitating social development and reducing poverty within the society is enough motivation for farmers to participate in such models ( Chen et al, 2019 ). Thus, community-supported agriculture models are essential in promoting green ecological agriculture and mitigating food insecurity and poverty.…”

The Role of Local Seasonal Foods in Enhancing Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review

“…One interpretation of seasonal food used in many articles is closely linked to the consumption of food produced locally, including the presumed environmental gain of less transportation [ 21 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Another understanding is the growing of vegetables and fruits in their “natural growing season” without using greenhouses [ 30 ].…”

“…In this context, CSAs give a good platform for consumers and farmers to narrow their interactions. They are also developing a fundamental approach to increase sustainable agriculture and food consumption [ 29 ]. The expansion of CSAs depends on citizens’ awareness of environmental protection, involving their comprehension and implementation capacity of circular economy, environmental policy, and green production [ 124 ].…”

“… Social and Economic Online survey Yes CSA N = 795 Consumers N.A. H [ 29 ] Corsi and Mazzocchi, 2019 To assesses the agricultural and territorial drivers that influence the development of AFNs. Social Data analysis of the factors influencing the participation of consumers and farmers in AFNs using an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression No Alternative Food Networks N.A N.A H [ 128 ] Denver et al, 2019 To investigate the preferences and trade-offs of distinct consumer segments relative to organic production and several dimensions of local food.…”