A Potential Sustainable Pathway for Community-Supported Agriculture in Taiwan: The Consumer Perspective in a Farmers’ Market

Sustainability

Man-Keun Kim¹  Shang-Ho Yang²  Punnaros Pisarn³ 

[1] Department of Applied Economics (APEC) and Center for Society, Economy and the Environment (CSEE), Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;Graduate Institute of Bio-Industry Management, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 40227, Taiwan;International Master Program of Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 40227, Taiwan;

关键词: Community Supported Agriculture;    farmers’ market;    willingness to pay;    risk-sharing;    Taiwan;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su12218917

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become an alternative approach for small-sized farmers in many countries. However, CSA is a somewhat challenging concept in Taiwan because many CSA projects face difficulties and obstacles related to sustainability, so relevant literature is rare. This pilot study investigates a potential CSA program in a farmers’ market to observe whether farmers’ market consumers would like to participate or not. A total of 320 survey responses collected from a farmers’ market were examined by an interval regression model. Results show that respondents are willing to pay and to be a CSA member of the farmers’ market. This study identifies that consumers are willing to share the risks of upfront payment with farmers. The preferred length of the contract means that a compromise is made in order to implement the CSA program. The implications involving a flexible length of contract and the budget should be taken into consideration by farmers, farmers’ market managers, and policymakers for devising promotion strategies, enrolling shareholders, and promoting CSA in Taiwan. Future study should focus on the consumer characteristics and factors affecting their decision to subscribe to CSA.

【 授权许可】

Unknown