In deciding upon an umbrella term to use for agri-food consumer producer
partnerships I prefer to turn to the description created by the global network
URGENCI14. However, the anglicised name for these partnerships (i.e. CSA – as
used in the US, UK and Australia) is increasingly being adopted as the global
umbrella term, but this does not reflect the origins of the movement and could
unwittingly suggest superiority. The international network URGENCI uses the
phrase “Local Solidarity Partnerships between Producers and Consumers” (LSPPC)
to include all such partnerships including CSA, AMAP (France), ASC (Quebec),
Teikei (Japan), and Reciproco (Portugal). As the focus of this study is CSA, I often
adopt this term for consistency and convenience, but do not imply any primacy for
CSA above other forms by doing so.