Community Supported Agriculture
Food for the People, by the People
What Is Community Supported Agriculture?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a community of individuals pledges support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or philosophically, the community’s farm. The growers and consumers provide mutual support and share the risks and benefits of food production.
There are many other qualities that define a CSA. Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden, authors of Farms of Tomorrow Revisited, define a CSA as "a community-based organization of producers and consumers [where] the consumers agree to provide direct, up-front support for the local growers who will produce their food [and] the growers agree to do their best to provide a sufficient quantity and quality of food to meet the needs and expectations of the consumers."
The CSA movement began in Japan and Europe. CSAs were introduced in the United States in 1986. Currently, there are approximately 1,000 CSAs in the United States.
Forming a CSA
In a CSA, with a market assured and income guaranteed, the farmers can concentrate on producing high-quality food and practicing careful stewardship of the land. The members get to eat the freshest, tastiest food they have ever experienced, as though they were master gardeners, but with much less work.
Converting to CSA is easiest for farmers who own a piece of land and some equipment, have a few years of experience growing vegetables for market, and have established a following of customers. The obstacles multiply for farmers without land and would-be farmers without the experience in growing for market. Yet around the country, many people have found ways to get started once they made up their minds.
8 Steps to Form a CSA
- Call to form a CSA issued by either farmers or groups of non-farmers
- Hold exploratory meeting of prospective sharers and farmer(s)
- Come to agreement, at this meeting or a subsequent meeting, on the group’s values
- Organize the core group
- Recruit members for first season
- Make commitments to the CSA (members)
- Establish the legal status of the CSA (many groups defer decisions on legal structure for a season or two; advice from a lawyer may be helpful)
- Determine capitalization of the farm(s) (many CSAs start with a minimum of rented or borrowed land and equipment; decisions must be made about long-term purchases and maintenance)
Excerpted and adapted from:
What is Community Supported Agriculture? (FCS7212-Eng) by M.E. Swisher, Rose Koenig, Jennifer Gove and James Sterns. Published by: Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (rev. 9/2006).
