Farmers’ and Consumers’ Beliefs About Community-Supported Agriculture in Australia: A Qualitative Study

This study aimed to examine the level of knowledge about community-supported agriculture (CSA) (a form of direct marketing of produce) and perceived benefits and barriers among farmers and consumers. Twenty consumers and 12 farmers in Victoria, Australia, were interviewed. Knowledge of CSA was limited. For consumers, one potential benefit of involvement with CSA was the food being fresh, while barriers included lack of produce choice. For farmers, one potential benefit was financial, while barriers included concerns about risk-sharing. If CSA is to develop further in Australia, the concept needs to be more heavily promoted to raise the population’s awareness.

This project was funded by a Deakin University Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences Research Development Grant. Emma Lea is supported by an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. We would like to thank the interview participants and, for assistance with the transcription, Vanessa Lea.

Keywords:

• Community-supported agriculture
• beliefs
• farmers
• consumers
• qualitative research
• Australia

Notes

This project was funded by a Deakin University Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences Research Development Grant. Emma Lea is supported by an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. We would like to thank the interview participants and, for assistance with the transcription, Vanessa Lea.

¹The term “members” is used in this article to refer to consumer members of a CSA enterprise.

²A farmers’ market is a predominantly fresh food market where farmers sell their produce directly to consumers.