Community Supported Agriculture is thriving in the Central Valley
| Autor: | Colleen C. Hiner, Jessica Beckett, Ryan E. Galt, Libby O'Sullivan |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
Economics
agricultural management Population California lcsh:Agriculture Agricultural science community supported agriculture demographics Environmental protection farming systems Foothills lcsh:Agriculture (General) education Agroecology education.field_of_study geography.geographical_feature_category business.industry direct marketing General Engineering lcsh:S A share lcsh:S1-972 Farms and Farming Systems Direct marketing Geography Business and Industry Agriculture Thriving Agricultural biodiversity business |
| Zdroj: | California Agriculture, Vol 66, Iss 1, Pp 8-14 (2012) Galt, Ryan E; O'Sullivan, Libby; Beckett, Jessica; & Hiner, Colleen C. (2012). Community Supported Agriculture is thriving in the Central Valley. California Agriculture, 66(1). Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/41p6r1xx |
| ISSN: | 2160-8091 0008-0845 |
| Popis: | Community Supported Agriculture operations (CSAs) have grown rapidly in recent years. The original model, in which members support a farming operation by paying for produce in advance and receive a share of the farm's produce in return, has been adapted, with much innovation. Since little research existed on CSAs in the Central Valley, we surveyed and carried out in-depth interviews with 54 CSA farmers and two CSA organizers in the Central Valley and surrounding foothills. Here we focus on four aspects of these CSA operations: type, economic viability, farmer characteristics and farm attributes. We found two main CSA models, box and membership/share. Fifty-four percent of the CSAs reported being profitable, and the average gross sales per acre were $9,084. CSA farmers are diverse in political orientation, yet are generally younger, better educated and more likely to be women than the general farming population. CSA farms are relatively small, with a median size of 20 acres; have a median membership of 60 (585 average); use agroecological methods; cultivate agrobiodiversity; and utilize growing practices that generally meet or exceed National Organic Program standards. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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