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Huang Y, Wang Y, Pan Y. Investigating consumers' experiences with community supported agriculture: Convergent parallel design methods. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303184. [PMID: 38739608 PMCID: PMC11090362 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) represents a collaborative model where local farms and community members form partnerships to facilitate the direct delivery of fresh produce from farms to consumers. This study primarily investigates the experiences of current CSA members, focusing on the key factors influencing their retention intentions. Employing a convergent parallel mixed methods approach, this study gathers and analyzes both quantitative data (such as factors affecting members' retention intentions) and qualitative data (derived from interviews reflecting members' perceptions of their CSA experiences). The integration of these datasets provides a comprehensive understanding of the factors that shape CSA membership dynamics. The research findings underscore that Convenience, Product Quality, and Positive Interactions are pivotal factors that contribute to members' Intentions to continue their CSA memberships. These insights are crucial for enhancing the services provided to CSA members and hold significant implications for the broader scope of CSA membership research. This study not only fills a critical gap in understanding the Chinese CSA context but also contributes to the global discourse on sustainable agriculture practices and community engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Huang
- Department of Smart Experience Design, Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yuhan Wang
- Department of Smart Experience Design, Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Younghwan Pan
- Department of Smart Experience Design, Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea
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Gunton RM. What is enlightened agriculture? A multi-normative approach to the nature and values of food production systems. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.979818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The sustainable development of farming is an agenda with strong normative undertones, yet beyond the call to combine enhanced agricultural output with better environmental outcomes, this normativity is rarely unpacked or analysed with respect to different worldviews and value systems. The normative practices approach is a values-explicit framework for analysing the normativity of social practices; here it is applied to agriculture to provide a critique of sustainability. This helps to clarify the nature of farming and the breadth of sometimes incommensurable visions for its sustainable intensification. It also leads to a values-explicit concept of “enlightened agriculture”, defined as models for agricultural systems that explicitly realise aesthetic, jural and moral benefits, possibly at some cost to economic productivity. While any implementation of this qualitative definition will be worldview-dependent, it appears that land-sparing approaches and the promotion of biodiversity per se are unlikely to qualify as enlightened farming, but farming with concern for the wellbeing of humans and non-humans probably does. The recognition that normative worldviews direct social practices implies that there will be profound diversity among visions of good farming, which technical and political proposals ought to account for. In the face of accelerating global change, this diversity may provide both resilience and fertile grounds for new context-sensitive and community-led initiatives.
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Birtalan IL, Fertő I, Neulinger Á, Rácz J, Oláh A. The wellbeing paradox in Hungarian local sustainable agriculture: a health psychology approach. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2326. [PMID: 36510153 PMCID: PMC9746150 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14643-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The literature suggests that farmers' work involves a number of operational difficulties. Although alternative food networks address the majority of their problems, they can potentially generate new hardships. The aim of this study is to examine the situational and engagement-related work difficulties associated with the everyday world of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers. METHODS This study used the health psychology approach, namely interpretive phenomenology, to understand the social determinants of farmers' working lives in CSA and to explore mental health challenges within the practices of local sustainable farming. To collect data, semi-structured, in-person interviews were conducted with CSA farmers in Hungary. RESULTS Our study shows that new modes of consumer-producer connectivity create novel situations and issues which farmers are forced to address. Three personal experiential themes emerge from the data to describe CSA farmers' work difficulties: (1) Conflicted autonomy; (2) The pressure of boxes; (3) Social overload. The difficulties for CSA farmers seem to be rooted in the economic characteristics of alternative agriculture where farmers organize food production for the satisfaction of consumer needs. In addition, structural conditions require several different CSA farmer roles, which could even be conflicting. CONCLUSION This study provides participants' perspectives on the health and wellbeing costs of sustainable farming. Newer producer-consumer connections require both time and experience and involve extra effort or skills, but farmers often lack these abilities. The results show how perceptions of work processes relate to the general framework of CSA, which necessitates a distinct strategy for farm management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Liliána Birtalan
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Kazinczy utca 23-27, 1075 Budapest, Hungary ,grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, 1064 Budapest, Hungary ,grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Prielle Kornélia u. 47-49, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Imre Fertő
- grid.424949.60000 0001 1704 1923Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Tóth Kálmán u. 4, 1097 Budapest, Hungary ,Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Kaposvár Campus, Guba Sándor utca 40, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Neulinger
- grid.9679.10000 0001 0663 9479Department of Marketing and Tourism, University of Pécs, Rákóczi str. 80, 7622 Pécs, Hungary
| | - József Rácz
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, 1064 Budapest, Hungary ,grid.11804.3c0000 0001 0942 9821Department of Addictology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, P.O. Box 229, 1444 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Oláh
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, 1064 Budapest, Hungary
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Working through Disaster Risk Management to Support Regional Food Resilience: A Case Study in North-Eastern Australia. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14042466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
As a consequence of disasters such as pandemics and severe weather events, Australian communities often face ‘food shortages’ resulting from the reduced availability of food and reduced access to available food. These food shortages can be acutely felt by vulnerable populations, comprising people in communities who are already dealing with social or economic disadvantages. Despite growing calls to ensure food access for everyone during and following disasters, efforts are still largely ad hoc, champion based and highly variable in their reliability and quality of supply. There is also a disconnect between disaster-related food relief and improving business continuity towards local economic resilience. This study sought to tackle these challenges by exploring how ‘local food access’ could be integrated within disaster management mechanisms, to support the most vulnerable and also contribute to local economic resilience. This paper discusses the findings of a study undertaken in Cairns, a north-eastern Australian regional authority, and involves a review of disaster management planning and policy artifacts, an online survey, and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders providing care and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Synthesizing the findings, we present a disaster-management-focused ‘Local Food Access Model’ that connects shorter food supply chains to improved disaster response, resilience and contingency-planning agendas. Applying this model to Cairns, we conclude the multiple benefits and immediate stakeholder readiness for a virtual (online) food resilience and contingency hub, to enable the connection of local food availability and access information within existing disaster management processes. The research method used, the model, and the case-specific findings provide government decision makers with a useful process, a local food-access schematic and a case study example to support immediate improvements in disaster resilience for vulnerable populations.
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Vargas AM, de Moura AP, Deliza R, Cunha LM. The Role of Local Seasonal Foods in Enhancing Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review. Foods 2021; 10:foods10092206. [PMID: 34574316 PMCID: PMC8465681 DOI: 10.3390/foods10092206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This article aims to review the current literature pertaining to the effects of eating local seasonal food on sustainable consumption. To this end, we examined definitions of seasonal and local food, the methodological approaches adopted to study the impact of seasonal consumption on sustainability, and sustainability dimensions investigated in journal articles. Highlighting what seasonal and local means, it is crucial to evaluate the effect of the consumption of these foods on sustainability. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Scopus and Clarivate’s Web of Science database in line with the recommendations from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Our findings suggest that the concept of local seasonality provides relevant information to the study of sustainable consumption. However, for better use of this concept, it is crucial to define what is local. At this point, regulation of labels based on geographic proximity or political boundaries proves pertinent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Maia Vargas
- GreenUPorto—Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre/Inov4Agro, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território (DGAOT), Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4485-646 Vila do Conde, Portugal;
- Department of Gastronomy, IESB—Instituto de Educação Superior de Brasília, SGAS Quadra 613/614, Brasília 70200-730, DF, Brazil
| | - Ana Pinto de Moura
- GreenUPorto—Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre/INOV4Agro, Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia (DceT), Universidade Aberta, Rua do Amial, 752, 4200-055 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Rosires Deliza
- EMBRAPA Agroindústria de Alimentos, Av. das Américas, 29501, Rio de Janeiro 23020-470, RJ, Brazil;
| | - Luís Miguel Cunha
- GreenUPorto—Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre/Inov4Agro, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território (DGAOT), Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4485-646 Vila do Conde, Portugal;
- Correspondence:
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Carins J, Bogomolova S. Co-designing a community-wide approach to encouraging healthier food choices. Appetite 2021; 162:105167. [PMID: 33596438 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
This research offers a novel perspective on encouraging healthier food choices through a community-wide approach. Using five co-design workshops with consumers and supermarket staff, and the abductive synthesis of qualitative data, this study uncovered the role of community in encouraging greater food well-being and allied behaviours. The results reveal rather critical consumer views on past paternalistic health promotion campaigns and offer alternative strategies for designing more balanced and holistic programs. Such a holistic approach can ensure more sustained programs, as they aim to achieve broader social, mental and physical health, and economic benefits, not just nutrition outcomes. The research offers practical recommendations on modifying retail marketing space, and the broader community setting, to create an environment where consumers find it easier, convenient, more socially desirable and pleasurable to make healthier choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Carins
- Social Marketing @ Griffith, Griffith Business School, Griffith University. 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia.
| | - Svetlana Bogomolova
- Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, UniSA Business, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, 5001, Australia.
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Food for People in Place: Reimagining Resilient Food Systems for Economic Recovery. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12229369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated response have brought food security into sharp focus for many New Zealanders. The requirement to “shelter in place” for eight weeks nationwide, with only “essential services” operating, affected all parts of the New Zealand food system. The nationwide full lockdown highlighted existing inequities and created new challenges to food access, availability, affordability, distribution, transportation, and waste management. While Aotearoa New Zealand is a food producer, there remains uncertainty surrounding the future of local food systems, particularly as the long-term effects of the pandemic emerge. In this article we draw on interviews with food rescue groups, urban farms, community organisations, supermarket management, and local and central government staff to highlight the diverse, rapid, community-based responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings reveal shifts at both the local scale, where existing relationships and short supply chains have been leveraged quickly, and national scale, where funding has been mobilised towards a different food strategy. We use these findings to re-imagine where and how responsibility might be taken up differently to enhance resilience and care in diverse food systems in New Zealand.
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