Chapter 5: Interpartner Risks in Solidarity Partnerships: A Case of Cooperation Without a Contract in Community Supported Agriculture

Based on the analysis of an extreme case, this chapter discusses the risk of having no contract in a solidarity partnership, that of the CSA (community supported agriculture) which is formed between an agricultural entrepreneur and a group of consumers. It uses qualitative methodology to explore the dynamic of weakened trust following the emergence of several conflicts. Indeed, trust, as a mode of interorganizational governance, corresponds to the ideal of solidarity and may seem a priori incompatible with the signing of a contract. The extreme case was discovered after conducting 47 semistructured interviews and was constituted on the basis of three nonparticipant observations and seven semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that the trust mechanisms can be quickly weakened in the event of a misunderstanding, exposing the partners to the risk of taking advantage of the agreement. The contractual logic, especially in its coordinating function, is a complement to trust in the stability of a solidarity partnership.