Crooked Vege: Digital platforms in small-scale social enterprise

This teaching case presents the story of Crooked Vege; an agroecological market garden in Ōtaki, New Zealand, and their journey toward digital transformation. Crooked Vege are a registered charity operating as a social enterprise. The enterprise is facing opportunities for digital innovation and soon must decide which best aligns with their underpinning ethos for sustainability in its relationships with the land. Analysis of this teaching case requires students to engage deeply with topics of sustainability and carefully consider the role of digital platforms and technologies in supporting this mission. Students will emerge from these analyses with an appreciation for the role of social enterprises in actioning small-scale change (i.e., to think global but act local), and a greater understanding of the roles of digital platforms and social media in actioning these changes—particularly as these roles pertain to community building and facilitating trust. Students will also be able to place their understanding in a broader global context by connecting their analyses with initiatives like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 2: Zero Hunger).