A dependence on large-scale farms and the industrial food
chain is the norm in the United States with few Americans
relying upon small-scale, alternative forms of agriculture to
stock their kitchens (Pollan 2007). Approximately 12,500
farms (0.6 percent) in the US engage in community supported agriculture (CSA) (USDA 2007a). Emerging in the
mid-1980s, this model of farming consists of a cooperative
agreement between farmers and members with the latter
paying a seasonal fee to the former in exchange for fresh
produce, and other farm products, on a weekly basis (Lang
2010). Unlike the dominant food system, CSA is predicated
on local food production and consumption with an
emphasis on organic and environmentally friendly practices, while sharing risks between producers and consumers
(DeLind 1999; Dyck 1997; O’Hara and Stagl 2001; Tegtmeier and Duffy 2005).1
Originally CSAs were designed to build community
proximate to the farm with members collecting their goods
on site, fostering community between the farmer and
members. Early proponents of this model often were
characterized as fringe advocates espousing communitarian
farming ideals. More recently, CSAs have expanded in
scope extending their reach to suburban and urban areas
illustrating a metamorphosis in cooperative farming
endeavors from small towns and cities to include ventures
with a regional emphasis. Changes such as these demand
rethinking commonly held notions of community in CSA