Balancing Social Values with Economic Realities: Farmer Experience with a Cost-offset CSA

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 farm-

Helping Farmers with Continuation Planning for Cost-Offset Community Supported Agriculture to Low-Income Families

“…Our experience aligns with that of other researchers (Guthman et al, 2006;Hinrichs & Kremer, 2002) who report that many farmers know and understand the needs and preferences of lowincome families and have developed their own ways of accommodating this consumer group (Sitaker et al, 2020). Still, farmers experienced dropouts, late payments, and missed pickups 1 http://collections.evergreen.edu/s/repository/item/6979 (Sitaker et al, 2020), and sometimes struggled with initiating "difficult conversations" with CO-CSA members about these issues. As other research affirms, customer commitment to the CSA model ensures better compliance and retention (Galt et al, 2017;Pole & Kumar, 2015).…”

“…While executing fundraising and outreach activities was sometimes challenging due to pressing farm responsibilities, most farmers were committed to offering the CO-CSA after study funding ended. As previously reported, F3HK farmers were strongly motivated to ensure equitable access to the food they grow, and saw CO-CSA as a way to do this (Sitaker et al, 2020). Nevertheless, a question remains regarding the economic impact of adding a CO-CSA program to a farm business' revenue stream (Sitaker et al, 2020).…”

“…Most farmers said that F3HK study participation was beneficial (Sitaker et al, 2020); many also said the continuation planning process was useful, as it helped them set goals and determine a course of action:…”

“…As previously reported, F3HK farmers were strongly motivated to ensure equitable access to the food they grow, and saw CO-CSA as a way to do this (Sitaker et al, 2020). Nevertheless, a question remains regarding the economic impact of adding a CO-CSA program to a farm business' revenue stream (Sitaker et al, 2020). This question is not addressed in either F3HK or other studies, although one economic modeling study reported on potential statewide impacts of policy support for CO CSA programs (Becot et al, 2020).…”

“…Previous papers from this study have described formative research and farmer experience with CO-CSA implementation (Hanson et al, 2019;McGuirt et al, 2019;Morgan et al, 2018;Sitaker, McGuirt, Wang, Kolodinsky & Seguin, 2019;Sitaker et al, 2020). This paper describes findings from an evaluation of a structured planning and implementation process conducted during the last intervention year of the study that aimed to help F3HK farmers sustain the cost-offset portion of their CSA after study funding ended.…”