Theorizing the socio-cultural dynamics of consumer decision-making for participation in community-supported agriculture

In the context of the urgent need to establish sustainable food systems, community-supported agriculture (CSA), in which consumers share risks with producers, has gained increasing attention. Understanding the factors that influence consumer participation in CSA is crucial, yet the complete picture and interrelations of these factors remain unclear in existing studies. This research adopts a scoping review and the KJ method to elucidate the factors influencing consumer participation in CSA and to theorize consumer participation. In particular, we focus on the dynamics of individual decision-making for participation, under the premise that individuals are embedded in socio-cultural environments. We examine the decision-making process based on the seesaw of expected gains and losses from participation, along with the reflexivity to the individual and the process of updating decision-making post-participation. Our study highlights how individual decision-making for participation is influenced by relationships with others within the embedded socio-cultural environment, as well as by attachment and connection to the community. It also shows that discrepancies between expectations and experiences post-participation, and the transformation of the social capital, promote the updating of decision-making processes. In addition, among the factors identified in this study for participation in CSA, the decision to participate was heavily influenced by expectations of “variety of ingredients,” suggesting that other factors such as “food education and learning opportunities,” “contribution to environmental and social issues,” and “connections with people and nature” had little impact. Although there are limitations, the insights gained from this study offer profound implications for stakeholders and provide valuable insights for more sustainable and efficient CSA practices.