So, what is the alternative that community supported agriculture offers to the consumer
today? One might say that “community” is the alternative being offered, but multiple studies
indicate that the idea of community is actually low on the list of priorities for shareholders
(Bougherara et al., 2009; Cone and Kakalioursas 1995; DeLind 2003; Russell and Zapeda 2008).
More than 15 years ago, Cone and Kakalioursas (1995) in studying community supported
agriculture in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, recognized that community was not the most
important motivator. “From the average member’s perspective” said Cone and Kakalioursas
(1995), “the demands of membership may begin and end with the bag of vegetables” (p. 30).