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Community supported agriculture (CSA) is one response to major ecological and social problems in the conventional agrifood system. Here we are concerned with how CSA management can enhance the economic sustainability of CSAs. More specifically, using a survey of 111 CSA farms in California, we analyze how specific variables in five domains—CSA management characteristics, farmer characteristics, farm characteristics, economic characteristics, and region—influence retention rates (the proportion of CSA members continuing from one year to the next). Our analysis involves first conducting bivariate correlations, then building a simple causal model that theorizes the direction of causation, then constructing a series of ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression models to hold constant independent variables. Our discussion draws out recommendations from our findings for CSA farmers and organizations that support CSA, including increasing the length of the season, increasing crop type diversity, including fruit in standard shares, bringing farming practices into line with organic standards, working with other CSAs to reduce inter-CSA competition, and changing marketing regions for farms in certain regions that appear to be highly saturated. We conclude by identifying more collective routes that CSAs can take to cultivate “CSA people” for a more sustainable economic dimension of CSAs in the long term.
Ryan Galt; Julia Van Soelen Kim; Kate Munden-Dixon; Libby O. Christensen; Katharine Bradley. Retaining Members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California for Economic Sustainability: What Characteristics Affect Retention Rates? Sustainability 2019, 11, 2489 .
AMA StyleRyan Galt, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Kate Munden-Dixon, Libby O. Christensen, Katharine Bradley. Retaining Members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California for Economic Sustainability: What Characteristics Affect Retention Rates? Sustainability. 2019; 11 (9):2489.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRyan Galt; Julia Van Soelen Kim; Kate Munden-Dixon; Libby O. Christensen; Katharine Bradley. 2019. "Retaining Members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California for Economic Sustainability: What Characteristics Affect Retention Rates?" Sustainability 11, no. 9: 2489.
Cities are increasingly turning to food policy plans to support goals related to food access, food security, the environment, and economic development. This paper investigates ways that rural farmers, communities, and economies can both support and be supported by metropolitan food-focused initiatives. Specifically, our research question asked what opportunities and barriers exist to developing food policies that support urban food goals, particularly related to local procurement, as well as rural economic development. To address this question, we described and analyzed a meeting of urban stakeholders and larger-scale rural producers related to Colorado’s Denver Food Vision and Plan. We documented and explored “findings” gleaned from a supply chain diagraming and data compilation process that were then used to inform an event that brought together diverse supply chain partners. Three findings stand out. First, facilitating dialog between urban food policymakers and rural producers to understand potential tensions, mitigate such tensions, and capitalize on opportunities is essential. Second, perceptions and expectations surrounding “good food” are nuanced—a timely finding given the number of preferred procurement programs emerging across the county. Third, critical evaluation is needed across a diverse set of value chain strategies (e.g., conventional and alternative distribution) if food policy intends to support heterogeneous producers, their communities, and urban food policy goals.
Becca Jablonski; Michael Carolan; James Hale; Dawn Thilmany McFadden; Erin Love; Libby Christensen; Tabitha Covey; Laura Bellows; Rebecca Cleary; Olaf David; Kevin Jablonski; Andrew Jones; Paul Meiman; Jason Quinn; Elizabeth Ryan; Meagan Schipanski; Hailey Summers; Mark Uchanski. Connecting Urban Food Plans to the Countryside: Leveraging Denver’s Food Vision to Explore Meaningful Rural–Urban Linkages. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2022 .
AMA StyleBecca Jablonski, Michael Carolan, James Hale, Dawn Thilmany McFadden, Erin Love, Libby Christensen, Tabitha Covey, Laura Bellows, Rebecca Cleary, Olaf David, Kevin Jablonski, Andrew Jones, Paul Meiman, Jason Quinn, Elizabeth Ryan, Meagan Schipanski, Hailey Summers, Mark Uchanski. Connecting Urban Food Plans to the Countryside: Leveraging Denver’s Food Vision to Explore Meaningful Rural–Urban Linkages. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (7):2022.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBecca Jablonski; Michael Carolan; James Hale; Dawn Thilmany McFadden; Erin Love; Libby Christensen; Tabitha Covey; Laura Bellows; Rebecca Cleary; Olaf David; Kevin Jablonski; Andrew Jones; Paul Meiman; Jason Quinn; Elizabeth Ryan; Meagan Schipanski; Hailey Summers; Mark Uchanski. 2019. "Connecting Urban Food Plans to the Countryside: Leveraging Denver’s Food Vision to Explore Meaningful Rural–Urban Linkages." Sustainability 11, no. 7: 2022.
Libby Christensen; Learner Limbach. Finding Common Ground: Defining Agricultural Viability and Streamlining Multi-organization Data Collection. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 2019, 8, 1 -16.
AMA StyleLibby Christensen, Learner Limbach. Finding Common Ground: Defining Agricultural Viability and Streamlining Multi-organization Data Collection. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2019; 8 ():1-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby Christensen; Learner Limbach. 2019. "Finding Common Ground: Defining Agricultural Viability and Streamlining Multi-organization Data Collection." Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 8, no. : 1-16.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Census, during the 2013–2014 school year, 42% of all U.S. schools (5,254 districts including 42,587 schools) participated in farm-to-school activities. These programs included 23.6 million children and purchased almost US$800 million of locally procured food items (USDA Food and Nutrition Services [USDA FNS], 2015). One of the purported benefits of farm-to-school procurement is that it strengthens the local economy by providing expanded market access for local farms and ranches. Despite the claims of positive economic impact, there is limited research to support this. This paper presents a framework for evaluating the economic impacts of farm-to-school programs, adapting the USDA’s “Local Food Economics Toolkit” for this specific context. The approach combines primary and secondary data to customize an input-output model, reflecting the complex supply chains that link producers and schools. Additionally, to illustrate the approach, we summarize the findings from two case studies of local food procurement by schools between 2016 and 2017.
Libby Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Lacy Stephens; Anupama Joshi. Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 2018, 8, 1 -22.
AMA StyleLibby Christensen, Becca B. R. Jablonski, Lacy Stephens, Anupama Joshi. Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2018; 8 ():1-22.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Lacy Stephens; Anupama Joshi. 2018. "Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools." Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 8, no. : 1-22.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Census, during the 2013–2014 school year, 42% of all U.S. schools (5,254 districts including 42,587 schools) participated in farm-to-school activities. These programs included 23.6 million children and purchased almost US$800 million of locally procured food items (USDA Food and Nutrition Services [USDA FNS], 2015). One of the purported benefits of farm-to-school procurement is that it strengthens the local economy by providing expanded market access for local farms and ranches. Despite the claims of positive economic impact, there is limited research to support this. This paper presents a framework for evaluating the economic impacts of farm-to-school programs, adapting the USDA’s “Local Food Economics Toolkit” for this specific context. The approach combines primary and secondary data to customize an input-output model, reflecting the complex supply chains that link producers and schools. Additionally, to illustrate the approach, we summarize the findings from two case studies of local food procurement by schools between 2016 and 2017.
Libby Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Lacy Stephens; Anupama Joshi. Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 2018, 8, 73 -94.
AMA StyleLibby Christensen, Becca B. R. Jablonski, Lacy Stephens, Anupama Joshi. Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2018; 8 ():73-94.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Lacy Stephens; Anupama Joshi. 2018. "Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Farm-to-school Procurement: An Approach for Primary and Secondary Financial Data Collection of Producers Selling to Schools." Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 8, no. : 73-94.
This article is a description of data related to the research article entitled “The (un)making of ‘CSA people’: member retention and the customization paradox in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California” (Galt et al., in press). The data presented were collected through two statewide surveys, conducted via internet-based questionnaire, related to Community Supported Agriculture in California: a former CSA member survey, and a current CSA member survey. We gathered responses for these surveys from April 2014 to January 2015. The data include responses from 409 former CSA members (those who had left) from 27 CSAs and 1149 current CSA members from 41 CSAs. The data tables included here contain information relevant to the retention of CSA members and other concerns, and come from two analyses: 1) comparisons of characteristics of former and current CSA members, and 2) importance-satisfaction analysis (ISA) of former and current CSA members’ experiences with CSA. We make the detailed results of these analyses available in this article so they can inform other researchers’ analyses of the increasingly important phenomenon of CSA member retention, and, more generally, customers’ participation in and satisfaction with a variety of alternative food networks (AFNs).
Ryan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Kate Munden-Dixon. Exploring member data for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California: Comparisons of former and current CSA members. Data in Brief 2018, 21, 2082 -2088.
AMA StyleRyan E. Galt, Katharine Bradley, Libby Christensen, Kate Munden-Dixon. Exploring member data for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California: Comparisons of former and current CSA members. Data in Brief. 2018; 21 ():2082-2088.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRyan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Kate Munden-Dixon. 2018. "Exploring member data for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California: Comparisons of former and current CSA members." Data in Brief 21, no. : 2082-2088.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) faces substantial challenges in increasingly saturated and competitive markets in which competitors highlight their localness. Retention of members is crucial for the model to provide benefits to farmers; otherwise, excessive losses of members requires considerable recruitment efforts and undercuts farmer well-being. We conducted statewide research on CSAs in California, including surveys of 409 former members, 1149 current members, and 111 CSA farmers, to examine former members' reasons for leaving. We answer three questions: How do former and current members differ in their satisfaction with CSA? Why do former members leave their CSAs? And, does share customization increase retention rates? Examining the datasets together shows what we call the CSA customization paradox: while it appears that former members' primary reasons for leaving could be addressed by offering them share customization, the farm-level data shows that offering share customization has no effect on CSAs' retention rates. The discussion offers three hypotheses to further examine the CSA customization paradox, and argues for a deeper theorization of CSA people to understand the limitations of share customization as a strategy for member retention. We conclude with specific routes that CSAs can take, individually and collectively, to retain members and cultivate CSA people.
Ryan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby O. Christensen; Kate Munden-Dixon. The (un)making of “CSA people”: Member retention and the customization paradox in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California. Journal of Rural Studies 2018, 65, 172 -185.
AMA StyleRyan E. Galt, Katharine Bradley, Libby O. Christensen, Kate Munden-Dixon. The (un)making of “CSA people”: Member retention and the customization paradox in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California. Journal of Rural Studies. 2018; 65 ():172-185.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRyan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby O. Christensen; Kate Munden-Dixon. 2018. "The (un)making of “CSA people”: Member retention and the customization paradox in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California." Journal of Rural Studies 65, no. : 172-185.
The 2015 Farm to School Census reports that during the 2013–2014 school year there were over 5200 farm to school (FTS) programs in the USA that involved 39,000 schools and 24.1 million children. These FTS programs are intended, in part, to increase market access and therefore the viability of farms and ranches. Accordingly, the majority of FTS programs involve local food procurement directly from farmers, from non-traditional suppliers that market locally branded food products such as ‘food hubs’, or from traditional suppliers such distributors and food service management companies. Yet, there is reason to believe that transaction costs vary based on the supply chain that schools use to procure local food. Moreover, that the supply chain that schools use to procure local food has a relationship with school's expenditures on local food. We use the 2015 Farm to School Census to estimate the relationship between school district's local food expenditures per student and supply chain structure. We analyzed data using ordinary least squares regressions, controlling for the region of the USA, the type of local food products purchased, and other school-specific characteristics. Importantly, we find a negative and significant relationship between school district's non-milk local food expenditure per student, and purchases directly from the farm and from non-traditional suppliers. This implies that schools that purchase local food from traditional distributors are likely to have higher on average expenditures per student compared with schools that purchase local food directly from farmers or non-traditional distributors. Results point to the need for additional research in determining the efficacy of policies to support direct and non-traditional FTS marketing arrangements.
Libby O. Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Jeffrey K. O'Hara. School districts and their local food supply chains. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 2017, 34, 207 -215.
AMA StyleLibby O. Christensen, Becca B. R. Jablonski, Jeffrey K. O'Hara. School districts and their local food supply chains. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 2017; 34 (03):207-215.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby O. Christensen; Becca B. R. Jablonski; Jeffrey K. O'Hara. 2017. "School districts and their local food supply chains." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 34, no. 03: 207-215.
With growing interest in wealth creation in rural areas from farmer participation in urban local food markets, defining empirical measures is crucial. However, data limitations and a lack of agreement on what serves as reasonable proxies for alternative capital measures makes the process challenging. Using the Delphi Method and considering a large urban farmers market system, this study prioritizes impacts on eight forms of community capital and estimates empirically flows of intellectual capital to rural areas using primary data from market vendors and customers. Results indicate that sufficient engagement between farmers and urban consumers, combined with educational programming by the farmers market, can increase the transmission of intellectual capital flows to rural areas. For the large urban-based farmers market evaluated, we find that such participation is associated with higher human capital stocks in the counties in which the farmers reside.
Todd M. Schmit; Becca Jablonski; Jennifer Minner; David Kay; Libby Christensen. Rural wealth creation of intellectual capital from urban local food system initiatives: Developing indicators to assess change. Community Development 2017, 48, 639 -656.
AMA StyleTodd M. Schmit, Becca Jablonski, Jennifer Minner, David Kay, Libby Christensen. Rural wealth creation of intellectual capital from urban local food system initiatives: Developing indicators to assess change. Community Development. 2017; 48 (5):639-656.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTodd M. Schmit; Becca Jablonski; Jennifer Minner; David Kay; Libby Christensen. 2017. "Rural wealth creation of intellectual capital from urban local food system initiatives: Developing indicators to assess change." Community Development 48, no. 5: 639-656.
Many consumers are trying to reduce their food's environmental impact by purchasing more locally sourced food. One choice for local food is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), in which farmers provide a share of produce on a regular basis to pre-paying farm members. The number of CSAs in the USA has grown from two in the mid-1980s to perhaps as many as 12,617 according to the latest US census of agriculture (2014). We use a case study approach to investigate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with five CSA operations in the Sacramento Valley of California. By understanding the GHG emissions of CSAs and the practices that might be improved, we hope to support innovative strategies to reduce GHG emissions in these agricultural production systems. Input, production and distribution data were collected from each farm and reported in CO2e emissions for 1 kg CSA produce at the pickup location. Results show large variation in total emissions, ranging from 1.72 to 6.69 kg CO2e kg−1 of produce with an average of 3.94 kg CO2e kg−1 produce. The largest source of emissions was electricity, contributing over 70% of total CO2e emissions on average. Based on our findings, despite the seemingly similarities between these operations in terms of production site, acreage, customers and production practices, there is still a large amount of variability with regard to total GHG. Thus we argue coming up with a standardized production function for diversified production and deriving GHGs or calculating average total emissions overlooks the heterogeneity of the system. Food systems can never be reduced to a simple binary of local is better and conventional is worse, or its inverse local is worse and conventional is better, because of the complexities of the production and distribution systems and their relationship to GHG emissions. Yet, we can say that localized production systems that are low in electricity use (or use renewable energy sources) and use efficiently-produced compost use have lower GHG emissions than those that do not.
Libby O. Christensen; Ryan Galt; Alissa Kendall. Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment of Community Supported Agriculture in California's Central Valley. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 2017, 33, 393 -405.
AMA StyleLibby O. Christensen, Ryan Galt, Alissa Kendall. Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment of Community Supported Agriculture in California's Central Valley. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 2017; 33 (5):393-405.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby O. Christensen; Ryan Galt; Alissa Kendall. 2017. "Life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment of Community Supported Agriculture in California's Central Valley." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 33, no. 5: 393-405.
In the U.S. there has been considerable interest in connecting low-income households to alternative food networks like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). To learn more about this possibility we conducted a statewide survey of CSA members in California. A total of 1149 members from 41 CSAs responded. Here we answer the research question: How do CSA members’ (1) socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, (2) household conditions potentially interfering with membership, and (3) CSA membership experiences vary between lower-income households (LIHHs) and higher-income households (HIHHs)? We divided members into LIHHs (making under $50,000 annually) and HIHHs (making over $50,000 annually). We present comparisons of LIHHs’ and HIHHs’ (1) employment, race/ethnicity, household composition and education, use of food support, and enjoyment of food-related activities; (2) conditions interfering with membership and major life events; and (3) sources of information influencing decision to join, reasons for joining, ratings of importance of and satisfaction with various CSA attributes, gaps between importance of and satisfaction with various CSA attributes, valuing of the share and willingness to pay more, and impacts of membership. We find that LIHHs are committed CSA members, often more so than HIHHs, and that CSA members in California are disproportionately white, but that racial disproportionality decreases as incomes increase. We conclude by considering: (1) the economic risks that LIHHs face in CSA membership, (2) the intersection of economic risks with race/ethnicity and cultural coding in CSA; and (3) the possibilities of increasing participation of LIHH in CSA.
Ryan Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Cindy Fake; Kate Munden-Dixon; Natasha Simpson; Rachel Surls; Julia Van Soelen Kim. What difference does income make for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in California? Comparing lower-income and higher-income households. Agriculture and Human Values 2016, 34, 435 -452.
AMA StyleRyan Galt, Katharine Bradley, Libby Christensen, Cindy Fake, Kate Munden-Dixon, Natasha Simpson, Rachel Surls, Julia Van Soelen Kim. What difference does income make for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in California? Comparing lower-income and higher-income households. Agriculture and Human Values. 2016; 34 (2):435-452.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRyan Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Cindy Fake; Kate Munden-Dixon; Natasha Simpson; Rachel Surls; Julia Van Soelen Kim. 2016. "What difference does income make for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in California? Comparing lower-income and higher-income households." Agriculture and Human Values 34, no. 2: 435-452.
The effects of competition within alternative food networks (AFNs) remain largely unexplored. Using a study of farms that operate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programmes in California, the state in the USA with the most CSAs, we empirically examine the effects of competition within alternative food networks. We conducted a statewide survey of CSA farmers in California, which collected data from 111 CSAs. For this analysis we construct a perceived competition index composed of variables that measure farmers' perceptions of competition with numerous market outlets and their being constrained in raising their prices due to competitive pressures. Our analysis shows that perceived competition is negatively correlated with CSA farms' profitability, farmers' satisfaction on a number of fronts, various indicators of the social embeddedness of CSA, and two community food security strategies. We conclude that competition is a real, although differential, phenomenon experienced by many CSA farmers in California, and that this competition impacts CSA in ways that undermine some of its commonly held values, especially fair farmer compensation and strong member‐farmer relationships.
Ryan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Julia Van Soelen Kim; Ramiro Lobo. Eroding the Community in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Competition's Effects in Alternative Food Networks in California. Sociologia Ruralis 2015, 56, 491 -512.
AMA StyleRyan E. Galt, Katharine Bradley, Libby Christensen, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Ramiro Lobo. Eroding the Community in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Competition's Effects in Alternative Food Networks in California. Sociologia Ruralis. 2015; 56 (4):491-512.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRyan E. Galt; Katharine Bradley; Libby Christensen; Julia Van Soelen Kim; Ramiro Lobo. 2015. "Eroding the Community in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Competition's Effects in Alternative Food Networks in California." Sociologia Ruralis 56, no. 4: 491-512.
This article presents a methodological approach to studying and evaluating increasingly complex regional food systems. Social network analysis has been used to measure collaborations in health and education and is potentially a tool for regional food systems. The authors demonstrate the methodological advantages of using social network analysis to track changes in collaboration over time, illustrated through a case study of a multitiered, three-year food systems project in North Carolina. There are multiple benefits of using social network analysis; for food systems two of the most useful are its ability to create illuminating visualizations of collaborators, and its ability to use inferential statistics to evaluate significance of changes in food system projects.
Libby O. Christensen; Rita O'sullivan. Using Social Networking Analysis to Measure Changes in Regional Food Systems Collaboration: A Methodological Framework. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 2015, 5, 113 -129.
AMA StyleLibby O. Christensen, Rita O'sullivan. Using Social Networking Analysis to Measure Changes in Regional Food Systems Collaboration: A Methodological Framework. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2015; 5 (3):113-129.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLibby O. Christensen; Rita O'sullivan. 2015. "Using Social Networking Analysis to Measure Changes in Regional Food Systems Collaboration: A Methodological Framework." Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 5, no. 3: 113-129.