Understanding community supported agriculture through the intersection of practices and socio-technical Regimes

Abstract

The vulnerabilities of global food systems, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlight the need for sustainable transitions. Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) presents a promising alternative, yet its scalability remains challenging. Although existing research has recognised the barriers to CSA growth, a deeper examination of the specific elements embedded in practices and regimes that hinder success is lacking. This study examines “NaturalMente in Trentino,” a CSA initiative in Trento, Italy, adopting a zooming in and out approach to identify the structural and behavioral lock-in points. Drawing on three years of ethnographic research—including participant observation, in-depth interviews and quantitative data analysis—this study integrates the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Social Practice Theory (SPT) to assess the interplay between socio-technical regimes and everyday consumption practices, revealing multiple lock-in points. These findings suggest that overcoming CSA constraints is linked not only to organizational inefficiencies (e.g. the rigidity and inefficiencies of product distribution moments) but also to deeply rooted cultural and behavioural habits, such as the use of private gardens or a preference for the convenience of supermarkets, and to rigid institutional frameworks and influential player patterns in the sector (e.g. cooperative dominance in local agri-food regime). By identifying both barriers and possible solutions, this research provides both actionable recommendations and policy interventions to support the transition to more resilient and equitable food systems.