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Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA)
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Full Belly Farm in northern
California has cultivated a loyal base of members for its community
operation, which provides 80 different types of vegetables and
even wool. Paul Muller is one of four farm partners. –
Photo by Neil Michel/Axiom |
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CSA, a marketing method in which members of a community invest
in a local farm operation by paying up-front for a share of the
harvest, has been growing steadily since it first appeared in the
U.S. in the late 1980s. The community idea carries over into the
farm itself, with members dividing the weekly harvest as well as
the risk of crop failure. Moreover, most CSA farms invite members
to learn more about their operations through farm visits, volunteer
opportunities and potluck suppers.
No two CSA farms are alike. Most supply produce. They also might
provide flowers, berries, nuts, eggs, meat, grain or honey. Farmers
may ask members to come to the farm to pick up their shares, or
they might deliver them to centrally located distribution sites.
Families run some CSA farms, while others involve groups of producers
to supply additional goods. Many CSA farms ask members to commit
time and labor to the operation, which not only lowers costs, but
also allows members to learn more about what it really means to
grow food.
In and around Concord, N.H., eight organic vegetable growers decided
to try a cooperative CSA. With a SARE grant, the group worked through
the logistics, from the creation of a legal entity called Local
Harvest CSA to weekly food production and delivery. Being part of
the cooperative makes it possible for the growers to combine what
they produce best or substitute for others’ crop losses. Co-op
members also learn from each other, sharing information about production
issues like seed varieties and fencing options. Since forming in
2003, the group has slowly expanded its roster of farmer-members
and doubled its number of shareholders to more than 200.
Another model comes from northern California’s Full Belly
Farm. Run by a team of four farm partners, Full Belly hosts a year-round,
800-member CSA with drop-off sites throughout the San Francisco
Bay Area. Full Belly Farm employs 40 workers and grows nearly 80
different types of vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts as well as
flowers, eggs and wool. They also sell at farmers markets and to
restaurants.
“I wanted to create a different model than what I grew up
with,” says Paul Muller, who was raised near San Jose in a
family of dairy farmers and now is one of the Full Belly Farm partners.
“On our farm, we have great relationships with our end users
– they are the ones we grow for, and they have confidence
in our integrity” about how Full Belly Farm produces their
food. “They have no question about feeding it to their kids.”
Full Belly Farm has been organic since the 1980s, and hosts an
award-winning annual “Hoes Down” festival including
kids’ activities, farm tours, food and music. Muller received
SARE’s Patrick Madden Sustainable Farmer Award in 2006.
Many CSA farmers produce weekly or biweekly newsletters describing
the harvest and providing recipes. Others reach out electronically
through listservs or Websites. Full Belly Farm’s Website describes
their CSA program in detail -- including drop-off locations, prices
and payment schedules, a harvest calendar and a newsletter specifying
the contents of the weekly CSA box, among other things.
When evaluating CSA as an option for your farm, consider:
 Your
location. Can you find enough members? Can they drive to your
farm; or do you need to establish community drop-off sites?
Labor.
Do you have enough paid support or volunteers to handle the extra
jobs involved in CSA, such as packaging?
Your
willingness to sponsor events on the farm, publish a newsletter
and provide other services that help customers feel connected
to the farm.
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