Does participation in CSA affect consciousness and sustainable behavior of consumers? The evidence from a longitudinal study

Abstract

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an alternative food network that connects farmers and consumers in a local non-commercial partnership to share the costs and outputs of agricultural production. Research on CSA emphasizes its potential in supporting sustainable development, which stems from CSA's role in promoting healthy and locally produced food. However, still little is known about how CSA affects consumers' cognitions and behaviors related to sustainability. The aim of this article is to identify the role of CSA in strengthening the environmental, social and health consciousness and sustainable behavior of its consumers. Two studies conducted among consumers and non-consumers of CSA show that CSA consumers represent higher levels of environmental and social consciousness than other individuals, and in addition to this, their social consciousness increases throughout their participation in CSA. Consumers of CSA also demonstrate more sustainable consumer behavior than non-CSA consumers, and those behaviors relate to various spheres of consumption, not only to food.