Sustainability: Lessons from CSA and Taiwan's Farmers
Bridging Design and Agriculture: My CSA-Inspired Project
In the spring 2023 semester, I reimagined an apple orchard in upstate New York as a sustainable community hub centered on Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). This design project integrated polyculture practices to enhance biodiversity, supported native bee populations, and introduced spaces for U-pick experiences and educational gatherings. By blending ecological goals with community engagement, the project demonstrated how CSA can serve as both an agricultural and social framework to foster trust, resilience, and sustainability.
Fig. 1 Diagram comparing conventional apple orchards vs pollinator-friendly planting methods
Independent Farmers in Taiwan: Navigating Challenges and Community Solutions
This project stemmed from a broader interest in agriculture, which began during my college years as I questioned Taiwan’s developmental policies and their impact on rural areas. Unlike capital-intensive farming in the United States, Taiwan’s small-scale farmers operate independently, relying on wholesalers to distribute their produce. This system leaves farmers vulnerable to fluctuating markets, where their work remains anonymous, their incomes unstable, and their role as stewards of the land unrecognized.
Seeking answers, in the summer of 2015, I traveled to rural communities, interviewing farmers and officials to understand the systemic challenges they face. Slim earnings often force farmers to rely on pesticides and chemical fertilizers to reduce costs—practices that degrade the land and harm their health. Organic farming offers an alternative, but higher costs and lower yields make it less accessible. In this challenging context, CSA emerges as a practical model to stabilize incomes and rebuild trust between farmers and consumers.
Fig.2 Greenhouse melons damaged by a recent typhoon
CSA: Trust, Local Production, and Resilience
Community-Supported Agriculture connects farmers and consumers through pre-purchase agreements, fostering shared responsibility and direct relationships. Second-party verification, where consumers visit farms and engage with producers, replaces expensive third-party organic certifications. This hands-on approach builds trust, reduces costs for farmers, and allows consumers to appreciate the care behind their food. Farmers’ markets become vital spaces for transparency and connection.
Though Taiwan’s scale would classify any transportation of produce as “local” by U.S. standards, the significance of CSA lies not in distance but in the direct exchange between farmers and consumers. By avoiding intermediaries like wholesalers, CSA strengthens relationships, ensures fairer pricing, and keeps produce fresh while stabilizing farmers' incomes. For instance, initiatives such as incorporating local produce into school lunches—even as a single weekly dish—can have meaningful economic and community impacts. Collaborative platforms further allow farmers to diversify offerings, share knowledge, and foster resilience through community-focused practices.
Fig.3 Water spinach prepared for use in school lunches
Conclusion
My design project and research into Taiwan’s agricultural systems stress the importance of adaptable and inclusive frameworks. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offers a model that makes room for individual aspirations—allowing farmers to shape their own relationships with consumers, the land, and their communities. Rather than prescribing a singular path or maximizing efficiency, CSA supports ways of living and working that align with personal values and local contexts. This approach may not always scale, but it affirms the need to honor diverse goals. Beyond agriculture, such principles can inspire responses to broader challenges—ones that prioritize resilience, equity, and the freedom to pursue meaningful ways of life.
I deeply appreciate the people I met and worked with during this two-month research, whose values align with my own. This experience reflects the kind of work I aspire to pursue professionally—collaborative, impactful, and rooted in shared principles of equity and sustainability.