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What is Community Supported Agriculture

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms provide a weekly delivery of sustainably grown produce to consumers during the growing season (approximately June to October). Those consumers, in turn, pay a subscription fee. But CSA consumers don’t so much “buy” food from particular farms as become “members” of those farms. CSA operations provide more than just food; they offer ways for eaters to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm.

What does CSA membership involve?

Membership arrangements vary among farms. For instance, some CSA operations deliver their food to the neighborhoods where members live, while others arrange for members to come to the farm and help make deliveries. Some CSA farms expect members to work on the farm at least once during the season while others only expect members to support the farm with their membership.

Although each CSA farm makes its own arrangements with its members and has its own expectations of them, being involved with a CSA operation always means sharing the rewards as well as the risks of farming. The rewards include: enjoying the freshest produce available, often harvested the same day you receive it; knowing where, how and by whom your food is being produced; having a direct connection with the people who produce your food; and supporting the kind of stewardship that is good for the land as well as its people.

The risks include weather and pests. Though formidable for small, self-sustaining farmers, these risks are bearable when shared by a group of subscribers. By linking together through CSA operations, farmers and consumers alike can benefit from an agriculture that provides beautiful and bountiful food while preserving the ecological and social basis necessary for coming generations to be so blessed.

Selecting a CSA

It is often difficult to choose which CSA to join. While membership in any CSA includes a weekly share of fresh produce, other factors may vary from farm to farm.

Factors to consider when choosing a farm:

• Location: You should keep in mind the driving distance when considering your level of involvement and the involvement expectations of the farm.

• Pick-up site/Delivery Day: The CSA farms delivery or pick-up dates. Some farms will deliver your share to your door or to a common pick-up site, while others require you to pick up your share at the farm or help with share deliveries.

• Length of Season/Number of Deliveries: The length of season and number of deliveries vary among the farms. Most begin in May or June and run through September or October. Some farms have an optional winter delivery for an additional cost.

• Types of Produce and Other Food Items: All of the CSA farms offer a wide variety of seasonal vegetables. Some farms offer unusual varieties while others may add extras to their standard shares. Some farms may give members the option to buy honey, fruit, flowers, eggs, wool/yarn, meat or other specialties at an additional cost.

• Opportunities for Involvement: Community building is an important part of the CSA approach; all farms encourage you to become involved. Most farms plan several farm events while others encourage their members to just “drop by.” Some farms expect involvement in the farm as part of membership.

Reference: Land Stewardship Project