The Potential for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Rhode Island:
Evaluating the Durability of the CSA Model for Agricultural Decision-Making in the 21st Century

J. Yannick Perrette

This thesis examines the potential for expanding community supported agriculture (CSA) in Rhode Island by addressing three questions. First, what are the benefits of increasing the quantity of community supported agriculture grown produce in Rhode Island? Second, what limits the development of community supported agriculture in Rhode Island? Third, what factors are contributing to the success of Casey Farm as a CSA and what do they imply about the future of community supported agriculture in Rhode Island?

Data on Rhode Island agriculture reveals that CSA farms as a mechanism for regional food production and food distribution within Rhode Island have not yet fully been explored. The findings of this thesis demonstrate that neither a lack of available farmland nor a lack of new CSA members are what limits the number of CSA farms in Rhode Island. Rather it appears that as of 1998, limits to the potential for community supported agriculture in Rhode Island are primarily a lack of CSA farmers and inadequate access to financing for additional CSA farms.

There are clear economic, educational, environmental and social benefits to increasing the quantity of Rhode Island CSA grown produce. Casey Farm’s CSA efforts demonstrate that effective management practices, diversification of CSA farm services, the use of niche marketing strategies and a suitable location, are all vital to the durability of a CSA farm. CSA farms, along with other forms of commercial agriculture, offer an innovative way for Rhode Island to both promote and prioritize open space, rural character, natural resources, regional tourism, historic preservation, sustainable agriculture and balanced municipal development.