Devon Acres CSA: local struggles in a global food system

This paper focuses on examining the dynamic nature of community supported agriculture (CSA) and the real-world experiences which mark its contours, often making it distinct from the early idealized CSA “model.” Specifically, our study examines the narratives of the farmers of Devon Acres CSA over its duration, in tandem with a survey of recent shareholders in order to understand and explain its evolution. The framework we develop here shows that this CSA is largely characterized by instrumental and functional beliefs and practices, with some elements in the collaborative mode. A key contribution of this research is the development of a framework which helps to highlight the relative fluidity and patchwork quality of CSA participant positions over time. At Devon Acres, the real-world factors and issues influencing CSA evolution are seen to be products of both the local and larger contexts, evident in such areas as shifts in farmer learning and adaptation, differences between beliefs and practices in member volunteer efforts, and changes in farm and resource conditions. With respect to CSA more broadly, we argue that the reality of dominant food system context and site-specific influences on CSA development compels us to rework our attachment to early idealized “model” traits. Expansion in CSA numbers, evidence of adaptation and situated learning, and retention of the local and organic as core traits, speak to the pragmatic yet transformative potential of CSA contribution to food system change.

Robert FeaganEmail:

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Robert Feagan   PhD, is a faculty member in the interdisciplinary Contemporary Studies Program at the Brantford Campus of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. His research and teaching interests are in local and regional food systems—farmers’ markets, CSAs, etc., in university–community partnerships, in community development, and in the green-burial movement. Ideas and objectives of “sustainability” underlie his many research directions. Amanda Henderson   earned a Masters Degree from the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. She lives and works on a communal eco-farm in rural Ontario, Canada.