Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is one way of producing and supplying healthy, safe food through community farms. Customers, in turn, provide financing which is commonly done through subscriptions. [1]
Climate Adaptation Effectiveness

One of the strengths of CSA is that harvest risk is shared with members [1]. Through this solution, risks from crop failures due to climate impacts can be minimized. Also, CSA practices climate-resilient farming.

Climate Hazards

  • Drought
  • Extreme Rainfall
  • Monsoon
  • Rain-Induced Flooding
  • Tropical Cyclone

Locations

  • Bauko, Mountain Province, CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)
  • Capas, Tarlac, Region III (Central Luzon)
  • Tanay, Rizal, Region IV-A (CALABARZON)

Adaptation Sectors

  • Agriculture

CCET Instuments

  • Action Delivery

Target Group based on Vulnerability

Basic Sectors:
  • Cooperatives
  • Farmers and Landless Rural Workers
  • Indigenous Peoples

Evaluations

Economic / Financial Effectiveness
High

CSA can stabilize farm incomes, minimize risk from crop failures, and provide outlets for extra produce like farmer’s markets [1]. Additionally, remuneration for CSA is larger compared to traditional marketing channels and payment is guaranteed [2].

Technical Feasibility
Mid

Establishing a CSA program involves a lot of relationship-building and logistics management. For Good Food Community, a social enterprise with a CSA-based business, what they had to do was to find their team, find their farmers, find their market, and grow the product and deliver it. [3]

Social Acceptability
Mid

Good Food Community partners with farmers from Bauko, Mountain Province; Capas, Tarlac; and Daraitan, Rizal. The challenges the enterprise has encountered are converting traditional farmers to be organic practitioners; and educating customers about the benefits of directly supporting farmers despite a slightly higher price point. [3]

Environmental Impact
High (+)

Producers in CSA embrace more ecological ways of farming where they employ low technology, use organic fertilizers, and avoid applying synthetic inputs [2].

Mitigation co-benefit

The reduced use of farm inputs for CSA lessens greenhouse gas emissions.

Keywords

Community farming, climate-resilient

References

[1] Berruto, R. and Busato, P., 2009. Logistics and Postharvest Handling of Locally Grown Produce. In R. Shewfelt, S. Prussia, W. Florkowski, and B. Brueckner, eds. Postharvest Handling: A Systems Approach, A Volume in Food https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Logistics-and-Postharvest-Handling-of-Locally-Grown-Berruto-Busato/e83baaa6729052c9e9c1214e071368ec24c99c9e
[2] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sustainability-as-business-strategy-in-community-Matzembacher-Meira/49f319669923e044de92a64aef3fa9f32903ce45 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Logistics-and-Postharvest-Handling-of-Locally-Grown-Berruto-Busato/e83baaa6729052c9e9c1214e071368ec24c99c9e
[3] Matzembacher, D. and Meira, F., 2019. Sustainability as a business strategy in community supported agriculture: Social, environmental and economic benefits for producers and consumers. British Food Journal, 121 (2), pp. 616-632. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sustainability-as-business-strategy-in-community-Matzembacher-Meira/49f319669923e044de92a64aef3fa9f32903ce45
[4] Tan, Y. (2020). How to start and run a community shared agriculture program. Agriculture Magazine, 30 April. https://agriculture.com.ph/2020/04/30/how-to-start-and-run-a-community-shared-agriculture-program/
[5] Mert-Cakal , T. and M. Miele. 2021. Community-supported agriculture (CSA): Significance and prospects for growth for individuals, communities, and food systems. CABI Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1079/PAVSNNR202116061 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356611362_Community-supported_agriculture_CSA_significance_and_prospects_for_growth_for_individuals_communities_and_food_systems
[6] Garner JA, Jilcott Pitts SB, Hanson KL, Ammerman AS, Kolodinsky J, Sitaker MH, Seguin-Fowler RA. Making community-supported agriculture accessible to low-income families: findings from the Farm Fresh Foods for Healthy Kids process evaluation. Transl Behav Med. 2021 Apr 7;11(3):754-763. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibaa080. PMID: 32930794; PMCID: PMC8033590. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Making-community-supported-agriculture-accessible-Garner-Pitts/17dbefdc0daeb7faaa0714da55f016948903b3f1

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