Subject: (Fwd) consumer surveys

From: [email-masked] (Sarah Milstein)
Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 13:53:25 GMT

CSA-ers:  I picked this up off SANET.  If you respond, contact
[email-masked]. 

>----- Forwarded message (Syliva-Linda Kaktins <[email-masked]>) -----<

Due to financial cutbacks my grant for my masters thesis project has  
disappeared.  Originally I was going to do a consumer survey in Halifax  
regarding food consumption and purchasing behaviours, knowledge of  
Sustainable Agriculture and alternative methods, attitudes towards  
agribusiness, etc. etc.  As well, I would have been examining community  
supported agriculture as well and conducting interviews with CSA  
participant, both consumers and producers.  I was looking at CSA as a  
means of revitalization of the rural community by urban consumers.  Alas  
-no $$$. 
 
So I am attempting to the first part by an empirical review of consumer 
surveys in NA.  I am looking for recent surveys (government, academic, 
publication etc. sponsored) that scan the general population as well as 
those that are targeted to organic and CSA consumers which examine eating  
patterns, shopping patterns, 
attitudes to sustainable agriculture etc. etc..  Hopefully I will be able  
to find sufficient surveys to compare consumers who do participate in SA 
practices such as community supported agriculture etc. and those who do  
not.  I 
am interested in finding the differences and my qualitative aspect of my 
thesis will be interviewing participants in CSAs to put flesh onto the 
bones and find out what is that special something that pulls and/or drive 
consumers to make that change i.e. lifestyle, long-term commitment, risk 
etc. that is required to participate in CSAs [My definition of a CSA  
includes both sustainable and organic in case anyone is wondering if  
people actually read the philosophical debates on the network] 
 
The other question that I will be examining is given the responses what  
can producers, institutions and governments do to support this  
transition. 
 
So, during your explorations of SA, if you have come across any surveys,  
please let me know.  I already have one provided to my by Jerry Cohen  
(which helped spark this direction) and one from Cornell Cooperative  
Extension via Jeennifer Wilkins.  I will also be going directly to US and  
Cd census departments to get data from them. 
 
Any help would be appreciated and most welcomed.  Thanks. 
 
Sylvia-Linda Kaktins 
[email-masked] 
School for Resource and Environmental Studies 
Dalhousie University 
Halifax, N.S. 
B3H 3J5 
1-204-494-3632 
1-204-494-3728 (fax)