Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Multiple crises have drawn attention to the vulnerability of the dominant food system, and increased interest in alternatives to its unsustainable structures. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is often seen as a promising model with the potential to change the food system, as its direct marketing approach enables small-scale farming to remain economically viable while reducing the distance between producers and consumers. However, there is still limited understanding of how the impact of CSA can be effectively scaled beyond its niche position. In this context, collaborations and networks are increasingly viewed as potential ways to strengthen the scalability, accessibility, and broader influence of CSA initiatives.
This paper contributes to this discussion by examining collaborations from the perspective of the CSA farm. It asks: How do collaborations shape the practices of CSA? The study is based on a single-case study of a CSA farm in southern Germany and draws on participant observation and interviews with key actors at the farm. The analysis is informed by the framework of social practice theory developed by Elizabeth Shove et al. (2012), which understands practices as configurations of three interrelated elements: materials, competences, and meanings. This perspective is used to explore how CSA farm practices enable collaborations and how collaborations, in turn, shape these practices.
The findings suggest that collaborations are enabled through the integration of materials, competences, and meanings into the CSA farm’s existing practices. To facilitate collaborations, practices are adapted, thereby some elements are more flexible than others. However, collaborations do not fundamentally transform the CSA farm’s practices, nor do they require entirely new practices to emerge. Rather, collaborations expand existing practices by adding on the materials, competences, and meanings. These expansions also influence the potential of CSA farms to shape the wider food system and can be related to strategies of scaling.
This research provides insights into how CSA can be strengthened and which practices support these initiatives in expanding their influence on the wider food system.