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Energy efficiency in community-supported agriculture (CSA) compared to conventional vegetable production

Given the many challenges facing agriculture, approaches are needed that promote both food security and environmental sustainability. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) shows great potential in this regard, particularly with regard to the efficient use of energy.

In a case study, three SoLaWi farms were compared with three conventional vegetable farms. The entire energy balance from production to the farm (life cycle assessment) was analysed. The SoLaWi farms showed better overall energy efficiency in the use of non-renewable energies, including lower consumption of fossil fuels and, in some cases, their own electricity production using photovoltaics. Although yields were lower in some cases, SoLaWi farms achieved high overall energy returns thanks to short supply chains and low processing costs.

In addition, SoLaWi offers additional ecological, social and economic benefits, such as greater biodiversity, less food waste, education and transparency, and secure sales markets. These aspects make SoLaWi a promising building block for the sustainable transformation of our food systems.

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