| Increased recognition of the negative impacts of global-level economic restructuring on social welfare and the environment has prompted growing numbers of social theorists to look for alternatives to the global economic system at a grassroots level (Mander and Goldsmith 1996, Wainwright 1994). Recently, a movement known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), has attempted to establish direct linkages between producers and consumers of agricultural goods at a farm level. Within the context of an increasingly globalized and impersonal food system, CSA has been held up as a cutting-edge strategy for revitalizing local food economies, enhancing local food security, protecting the environment, and preserving small-scale agriculture. Acclaimed as a central component of an emergent "new agriculture," various authors have envisioned CSA as the basis for the "farms of tomorrow" (Groh and McFadden 1990) or the "catalyst for a new economy" (Lamb 1994).;Despite nearly a decade of experience with CSA in this country, however, surprisingly little is known about the composition of the movement or its social and economic viability. To address this knowledge gap, this dissertation utilizes social movements theory to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the organizational configurations, tactics, and outcomes characteristic of the CSA movement in Wisconsin and Minnesota.;Based on a regional analysis of 24 community farms and two farm coalitions, this study identifies the issues currently confronting the movement at a variety of levels. Despite ideals about the formation of cooperative partnerships, a disparity was found between the goals and objectives of the consumers and those of the farmers who held a greater stake in the movement outcome. Frequently, due to insufficient consumer commitment, the "community" in CSA never materialized leaving farmers overworked, underpaid, and demoralized. Various strategies for addressing this tension are identified, including more effective management approaches and building support for CSA at an extra-farm level. Farmer networks offer a means for disseminating knowledge, educating and motivating the public, and strengthening the capacities of farms. The dissertation concludes that the organizational forms, ideas, and cultural values introduced by CSA constitute an important challenge to the central tenets of the conventional food system. |
