The community shared agriculture (CSA) method of directmarketing is one among a range of advocated responses to
the widespread, degrading impacts commonly associated
with a globalizing food system (Lapping 2004; McFadden
2004; Cone and Myhre 2000; Hinrichs 2000). CSA, in
contrast to dominant food system trends, is generally
defined as a localized food production and consumption
system, organized to share farming risks between producers and consumers, practice ecologically sensitive forms of
food production, and contribute to building community and
educating the shareholders about agricultural processes and
realities through their participation (Tegtmeier and Duffy
2005; O’Hara and Stagl 2001; DeLind 1999; Dyck 1997).
The research focus of this paper is a CSA operation in
Brant County Ontario—Devon Acres Organic Farm. The
research is the outcome of ongoing membership and close
working relationship with the owners of this CSA, drawing
on in-depth interviews with them and from a survey of its
members. For this study, we developed a framework of
three interrelated though distinct categories of participation—instrumental, functional, and collaborative. The
specific goal is to describe and order the perceptions,
practices and issues around CSA operation over time at this site according to these three categories, and do so in the
spirit of Hassenein’s (2003) examination of the debate
between the ‘‘incremental’’ and the ‘‘transformative’’ with
respect to contributions to food system change. First, we
argue that the framework enables a more clearly organized
examination of the real-world of participation at CSA than
we have seen in CSA studies to date. Second, we build on
Hassenein’s (2003) contentions about transformational
potential in food systems, by showing that CSA is likely
most effective when rooted in its core attributes while
evolving pragmatically and incrementally at the interstices
of its local situation and its global context.