Abstract
Some farmers are offering subsidized or “cost-offset” community supported agriculture (CO-CSA) shares as a strategy to counter market saturation and improve low-income families’ access to fresh local foods. However, little is known about farmers’ experiences with this model, particularly in regard to the balance between additional resources required for adoption and subsequent contributions to farm revenue. As part of the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids Study of the impact of a CO-CSA on dietary behaviors in low-income families, we conducted qualitative interviews with 12 farmers across four states after the first and the third years of CO-CSA implementation. We explored these data to understand what accommodations farmers provided to low-income families, the benefits and challenges of implementing the CO-CSA model, and farmers’ perceptions of its impact on cash flow and profitability. We found that farmers selected pick-up locations that met CO-CSA members’ needs, were responsive to members’ food preferences in selecting CSA contents, and allowed for late payments and pickups, though sometimes this placed an additional burden on farmers’ time and resources. Additionally, weekly payment transactions led to increased recordkeeping. Despite its challenges, most farmers said CO-CSA adoption was a worthwhile addition to their business model. Expanding food access through this mechanism may become more sustainable with the additional support of innovative policies like eased land-use restrictions, operational models, and community strategies to fund and operate CO-CSA programs. This is an area ripe for future research, as there is little documentation on both single farm and multifarm CO-CSA operations.
Highlights
Developments in the U.S food system since the early 20th century have created efficiencies that have reduced both direct costs to the industry and prices for consumers (Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2015)
Smaller and mid-sized producers may be marginalized in this system, with implications for local economies and the choices available to consumers (Hendrickson, James, & Heffernan, 2018; Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2015)
The findings are divided into seven major categories: farm characteristics, motives for participation, labor costs and expenses related to cost-offset CSA (CO-CSA), financial impacts, strategies for cementing new customer relationships, challenges of accommodation, and benefits of CO-CSA implementation
Summary
Developments in the U.S food system since the early 20th century have created efficiencies that have reduced both direct costs to the industry and prices for consumers (Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2015). Alternative models have arisen to sustain small and midsized operations One such model is the values-based supply chain (VBSC), in which all network actors (e.g., farmers, processors, third-party certifiers, distributors, and retailers) collaborate to maximize the social and financial return on investment for all participants in the supply chain (Bloom & Hinrichs, 2011a; Bloom & Hinrichs, 2011b; Cohen & Derryck, 2011; Stevenson, 2013; Stevenson & Pirog, 2008). Producers engaged in VBSC may sell through a number of intermediated marketing channels, including grocers, restaurants, and regional aggregators (e.g., food hubs) They may make buying arrangements with the foodservice operations of schools, universities, hospitals, and other institutions (Low & Vogel, 2011)
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