Community or Market?: The Implications of Alternative Institutional Logics for IT Use in Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSAs)

One way that information technology (IT) can potentially contribute to improving sustainability, supporting economic development, and improving individual and collective well-being is by changing how food is produced, distributed and consumed. With growing interest in alternative or local food systems, there is the potential for IT to play a significant role in supporting the development of environmental, economically, and socially sustainable food production and distribution. However, moving from the conventional global food system, in which the corporate-market logic is dominant, to the local food systems, in which a variety of institutional logics coexist presents particular challenges for IS practitioners and scholars. Using data from a national survey of local food producers, this study shows how different logics can result in different profiles of IT use and complex outcomes.