Unravelling participation in self-harvest Community Supported Agriculture: A Social Practice perspective
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2025-12-23
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en
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Despite their potential to develop more sustainable food systems, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives remain niche and, with limited and unstable participation. Current research approached this gap by examining motivations and barriers. This presents a different perspective by viewing participation as a series of repeated, situated practices rather than isolated choices. Drawing on Social Practice Theory (SPT), participation in a self-harvest CSA is conceptualized as a chain of interconnected practices—growing, self-harvesting, cooking, and eating. Using a qualitative case study of a self-harvest CSA, based on fifteen semi-structured interviews with members, volunteers, interns, and a farmer, the thesis analyzes how these practices are buildup of materials, competences, and meanings, and how they interact through practice dynamics. The findings show that participation is driven not only by access to organic, local food, but also by the meaningfulness of on-site activities such as farming and harvesting. These practices enable learning, social interaction, self-care, and connection to nature, while reshaping cooking and eating toward seasonal, vegetable-centered meals. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that sustained CSA participation emerges from alignment with CSA practices rather than from a single membership decision.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen