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Retaining Members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in California for Economic Sustainability: What Characteristics Affect Retention Rates?

Author

Listed:
  • Ryan E. Galt

    (Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Julia Van Soelen Kim

    (UC Cooperative Extension, Novato, CA 94947, USA)

  • Kate Munden-Dixon

    (Geography Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Libby O. Christensen

    (Colorado State University Extension, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477, USA)

  • Katharine Bradley

    (Independent Scholar, New York, NY 11205, USA)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan E. 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, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2489-:d:226667
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Ryan E. Galt, 2013. "The Moral Economy Is a Double-edged Sword: Explaining Farmers’ Earnings and Self-exploitation in Community-Supported Agriculture," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 89(4), pages 341-365, October.
    4. Lydia Zepeda & Anna Reznickova & Willow Russell, 2013. "CSA membership and psychological needs fulfillment: an application of self-determination theory," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(4), pages 605-614, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gabriel Cumming & Kristin Hunter-Thomson & Talia Young, 2020. "Local food 2.0: How do regional, intermediated, food value chains affect stakeholder learning? A case study of a community-supported fishery (CSF) program," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(1), pages 68-82, March.
    2. Ilona Liliána Birtalan & Attila Bartha & Ágnes Neulinger & György Bárdos & Attila Oláh & József Rácz & Adrien Rigó, 2020. "Community Supported Agriculture as a Driver of Food-Related Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, June.

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