Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7683-6493

Date Available

7-17-2023

Year of Publication

2023

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Agricultural Economics

First Advisor

Dr. Timothy Woods

Abstract

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs offer consumers the chance to share the risk with farming operations while gaining access to fresh, local foods. While research on CSA shareholder values such as share affordability or the local impact of participation has been conducted in the past decade and beyond, less attention has been paid to direct value-mapping of the shareholders themselves. This research seeks to determine consumer values around the CSA purchasing decision using the Best-Worst Scaling Approach. Based on a focus group discussion with CSA shareholders in a university wellness voucher program, we used affinity diagramming to develop a list of eleven values. A subsequent survey of 197 University of Kentucky employees registering for the program in 2022 was developed, revealing that for those with CSA experience, the quality of produce and the local impact of their CSA purchasing decision are among the most important attributes, whereas those who chose not to purchase a CSA share most value food affordability. The goal of this research is to open new avenues for CSA administrators to promote CSA programs by targeting priority value clusters and thereby increase the program impact.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2023.289

Funding Information

Redman Scholarship, 2021-2023

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