Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Innovations for CSA Market Development and Shareholder Expansion
- Marketing and Metrics
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 250 words or less, describe the project’s need, purpose, goals, and expected outcomes. This summary will be made available
to the public.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) became an increasingly popular food acquisition model during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing CSAs reported many first-time shareholders with many farms shifting
to online ordering systems and customization. Some farmers diversified into CSA to replace lost income
in other markets. Other sectors developed CSA-like box products in their own pandemic-related pivots.
Lines between direct market types blurred as different sectors collaborated to meet changing food needs
and preferences. Consequently, the marketing landscape for CSA is changing rapidly.
We propose a set of objectives to maintain CSA’s newfound popularity beyond the pandemic by
developing technical assistance (TA) networks that evaluate changing consumer preferences and build
bridges to diverse CSA-adjacent communities of practice. Our goal is to create and sustain market
opportunities for existing and potential CSA farmers through TA resource provision and expanded
network building. To accomplish this goal, we employ multiple strategies.
First, we will evaluate characteristics of different shareholder types and market trends to create
marketing messages and online engagement strategies that aid in recruitment and retention. Second, we
will develop TA resources for and relationships with University-based personnel to facilitate the creation
of incentivized CSA-to-University programs. Third, we will convene a farm business metrics working
group to address data gaps, prioritize strategies for farm-, system-, and national-level data collection, and
identify applied research topics. These activities are intended to improve CSA stakeholder data literacy
and decision-making in many areas. Finally, we support all objectives by expanding and diversifying our
existing national CSA TA network.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 9/30/21 → 9/29/24 |
Funding
- Agricultural Marketing Service: $503,581.00
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