Buying local organic food: a pathway to transformative learning

S. Kerton¹ and A. J. Sinclair^2*

Abstract
Food is a powerful symbol in the struggle to transition to a more sustainable pathway since the food choices citizens make have deep environmental and social impacts within their communities and around the world.

Using transformative learning theory, this research explored the learning that took place among individual adults who consumed goods directly from local organic producers, and how this behavior affected their worldview. Learning was classified as instrumental, communicative, or transformative. Ultimately, we considered if the learning created lasting change, directed toward a more sustainable society, among learners.

Three different models of producer/consumer interfaces located in Atlantic Canada were considered: a market-garden operation, an education and outreach center, and a community shared agriculture project. It was found that all participants experienced some form of learning, either instrumental or communicative, through their participation in organic agriculture.

Closing the gap between producer and consumer through direct contact with the farmer at a market, visiting the farm, or participating in food production oneself is both a desirable step in reaching a more sustainable lifestyle and a powerful learning tool in linking the consumer to a host of other environmental and social issues.


Source
Agriculture and Human Values (2010) 27: 401-413
DOI: 10.1007/s10460-009-9233-6


Author Locations and Affiliations
(1) City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay, ON P7C 5K4. Canada
(2) Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 200 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
* Corresponding author, E-mail jsincla@ms.umanitoba.ca


Posted December 2010