Community Supported Agriculture

You might say, what the heck is that...well I have definitions for you from my local CSA, Pennypack Farm (pennypackfarm.org)...every Friday afternoon I get to pick up fresh, organically grown, local produce and I love it. You should try it...beats spending your paycheck at Whole Foods (though I do love Whole Foods)...


Community Supported Agriculture


Pennypack Shares Being Packed
What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is defined as a mutually beneficial partnership between a farm and the people who consume the food produced there. One of the unique advantages of a CSA is that it relieves the farmer of some of the risk inherent in growing food, and distributes it over a wider community who agree to share the risks along with the benefits.

Sustainable Food Systems
Industrial farming operations produce food for large-scale processing. They aim to maximize yields through the use of artificial soil additives, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, large automated equipment, inhumane treatment of animals, inadequate containment of animal wastes, and wasteful irrigation methods. These techniques are known to cause negative side effects: topsoil degradation and loss, underground water contamination and depletion, high fuel and electricity consumption, pollution of air and streams, and the many adverse health and ecological effects that can be expected from these kinds of byproducts. Standard accounting practices defray the negative costs associated with these side effects from the market price of food produced using industrial farming and processing techniques, so in effect the public subsidizes the processed food industry and large private agribusinesses in addition to the price paid for their products at market.

By contrast, community supported agriculture using natural and organic farming methods aims to be ecologically and economically sustainable over long and even indefinite periods of time. By reducing or eliminating adverse side effects we also reduce or eliminate the hidden or delayed costs associated with them, and the true unit cost of food production is paid by the consumer. CSAs also help promote a sense of community and intimate connection with the vital processes that sustain all life.

How CSA Works
Consumers and farmers work together on behalf of the Earth and each other. While the farmer tends the Earth on behalf of everyone, consumers share the cost of supporting the farm and also share the risk of variable harvests, as well as the abundance of particularly fruitful seasons. Membership in the CSA is based on shares of the harvest. Members are called shareholders or customers and they subscribe or underwrite the harvest for the entire season in advance.


What are the rewards?
CSAs foster connections within communities and with the Earth. CSA farming practices improve soil to produce tasty, nutritious, locally grown food. CSA customers purchase season-long shares of flavorful, chemical-free, naturally ripened produce picked up at the farm or at a pre-arranged delivery point each week.
In a CSA, people of all ages gain a close relationship with the soil, the seasons and each other through the ageless art of growing food. CSA families have fun visiting the farm regularly and take pride in belonging to a community of like-minded neighbors who support ecologically sustainable agriculture and preserving open space. CSA share holders are interested in more than vegetables. They know they're working with a professional grower who shares their environmental and social concerns, and they're interested in their fellow share holders.

What are the risks?
Like any agricultural enterprise, a CSA's crops are subject to annual variations in climate, plant diseases and populations of insects, rodents, deer and other crop-loving species. CSA customers benefit most when growing conditions are favorable to crops. While the share price may remain constant from one year to the next, some crop yields may increase or decrease relative to the previous year.

Organization
There are typically three groups involved in the farm: the farmers, core group and consumers. The farmers do all the actual farming work. The core group is a group of 5-12 people that includes farmers and consumers. The core group makes sure that the food is being distributed, and in some cases is responsible for collecting payments, organizing community events, and finding more consumers as required. The consumers group includes everyone (including farmers). Their responsibility is to financially support the farm and see that all the food is consumed.

Cost
The Garden/Farm Plan enables the farmers to draft up a detailed expense budget for the coming year. The length of season, crops grown, labor costs, etc. affect overall costs and share prices. The Garden/Farm Plan may be drawn up with a specific number of consumers in mind. Many CSAs simply take the budget and divide it evenly among the number of consumers to arrive at the average price of a share.

CSA Is About Learning
CSAs also act as training centers for people who wish to learn the skills of farming and management of CSA operations. These "hands-on" trainings are called " apprenticeships ". In addition, CSA members often volunteer their time to work in the garden so that they may informally learn about horticulture or other gardening skills.

Distribution/Delivery
In many CSAs, crops are harvested twice a week. Some CSAs offer full and half (or split ) shares. Pickups are held at the farm on harvest days, and some CSAs deliver shares to other locations for convenient pickup. Customers who come to the farm usually have the option to pick some of their own food right from the field.