Panorama of the community supported agriculture (CSA): the movement in Brazil and Europe

Abstract

The conventional model of food production and distribution is each time more dependent on
financial and industrial capital, representing the commodification of agriculture. CSA has the
objective to create economic relations that search to satisfy the needs of each member involved
with the community, people become co-producers and finance the agriculture that is
based on associative economics. The main goal of this research is to present a panorama of
CSA in Brazil and Europe and specifically quantify the people involved and the quota values
in Brazil. Information was discussed based on a quantitative survey obtained through primary
and secondary data. In the past years, CSA has been gaining strength and new communities
are emerging every year. In Europe, these communities already produce food for half a million
people. In Brazil, there is need to promote the consolidation of CSA through the fortification of
networks and research groups.