Civic agriculture in the United States: Kentucky case study

Abstract

At first sight, the global food system may appear to be the playground of corporate powers, but a closer look provides evidence that alternatives exist and are based on local networks of food production, distribution and consumption. Civic agriculture, which fosters direct links between food producers, small processors, and consumers within the context of the local food economy, belongs to this alternative system. The concept of civic agriculture, introduced as a sociological concept by Thomas Lyson, is not well known in Poland and was the inspiration for the author of the article to conduct case studies of initiatives that had the characteristics of civic agriculture. The research was conducted in the areas of Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky in the late summer and early autumn of 2008 during the author’s stay as a visiting scholar at the University of Kentucky. The case study methodology was applied in the analysys of the observed manifestations of civic agriculture. These case included examples of civic agriculture at various points in the food chain; the stages of production, processing, and distribution, starting with family farms and community gardens and continuing with a local microprocessor. They concluded with a cooperative farmers’ market. The cases analyzed confirmed the theory of civic agriculture as an alternative network of agri-food initiatives. The aim of this publication is to show the consecutive stages of this alternative food chain and highlight the elements of civic agriculture within them. As this niche type of agriculture has its own place within the food system its examples deserve attention and more detailed analysis.