Community Supported Agriculture: powerful produce

For most consumers, the only brush with truly fresh produce is when making a trip to the local farmer's market. Unless you're lucky enough to have both a patch of land suitable for a garden and the requisite green thumb, you're likely more used to the unpredictable world of supermarket produce.


This predicament has spawned an innovative system that connects normal consumers with small family farms in your area. This increasingly popular strategy is known as "Community Supported Agriculture".

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

A relatively new approach to agriculture, Community Supported Agriculture dates back 30 years ago to Japan. A group of women, worried about increasing food imports and dwindling local farms started a direct growing and purchasing agreement between themselves and farms in their area. The relationship was called "teikei" in Japanese, which translates to "putting the farmers' face on food." The idea made its way first to Europe and eventually to the United States. The term "Community Supported Agriculture" was coined in 1985 at Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts. Today there are over 2000 CSA farms throughout the United States and Canada.
From the Fields to Your Front Door: How it Works

Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge to financially support a farm operation in exchange for a share of the crop in return. The growers and consumers thus provide mutual support and share the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, a grower draws up a budget reflecting production costs for the upcoming growing season. This budget is then divided by the number of people for whom the farm will provide, which in turn determines the cost of the individual share (each share is usually designed to meet the needs of a family of four, although some CSA's differ). Members then sign up and purchase their shares (either in one lump sum or in installments throughout the growing season).

In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests.

In most cases, each CSA member receives a weekly drop-off of one box of selected produce. Typically a wide variety of herbs and vegetables are included (particularly with farms that utilize integrated cropping and companion planting), and some farms may provide flowers, fruits, eggs, milk or meats. Share prices vary based on location, quantity and selection of food products, and length of the growing season. Many CSA farms practice organic farming techniques.

Why Go Local?

In addition to the increased connection between farmers and consumers, CSA's provide tangible benefits for farmer's and "shareholders" alike:

* Shareholders receive the freshest of produce each week
* CSA members often receive farm news and recipes with each box
* Most CSA farms offer tours of the farm and hands-on learning opportunitues
* Direct relationships with consumers give farmers the fairest return on their products
* Buying locally helps reduce the environmental impact associated with shipping and storage
* Buying from local farms helps sustain and maintain regional food production
* By having a guaranteed market, farmers can focus more time and energy on their crops (as opposed to sales and marketing)

For more information, visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa