KUMAKKA – Sustainability, competitiveness and appreciation for agriculture by community supported agriculture

We are facing challenges with the profitability and appreciation of agriculture, the demand for domestic food, the structure of trade and the sustainability of food production and consumption. There is a need for versatile solutions and discussion about different food production models, consumer choices and consumer-producer relationships.

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a model to produce and distribute food locally. In it, the farmers and consumers share the risks and rewards of agriculture – in co-operation, without intermediaries, while developing the sustainability of food production and with the support from the community. CSA is not too well known, neither much practised in Finland. But it could be a noteworthy distribution channel for local food, bring consumers closer to farmers and strengthen the sustainability and profitability of primary production.

The project aims to raise, develop and strengthen community supported agriculture as a way to act sustainably and advance consumer-producer relationship, and as a model of local and profitable food production and distribution channel in both conventional and organic production.

The project
1. provides new knowledge and understanding of community supported agriculture, its sustainability and implementation (a survey of community supported agriculture as a local food system and meeting place for farmers and consumers)
2. strengthens cooperation and know-how amongst those involved in as well as interested in pursuing and developing community supported agriculture (network for community supported agriculture)
3. produces a proposal on how to advance community supported agriculture in Finland
4. informs about community supported agriculture

Target groups: Farms, farming communities and consumers (households, restaurants, kindergartens, etc.) interested in or already engaged in consumer supported agriculture.

The project is nationwide. It is carried out by the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute with the Finnish Organic Association. The project is funded by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment Häme from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (Rural Development Programme for Mainland Finland 2014–2020).