Community-supported agriculture reflects an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers; develop a regional food supply and strong local economy; maintain a sense of community; encourage land stewardship; and honor the knowledge and experience of growers and producers working with small to medium farms.

CSA is a unique model of local agriculture whose roots reach back 30 years to Japan where a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and local farms.

This arrangement, called “teikei” in Japanese, translates to “putting the farmers’ face on food.”

This concept traveled to Europe and was adapted to the United States. There are over 1,500 CSA farms across the US and Canada.

The partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm’s yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season’s harvest.

CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance and labor. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season.

This mutually supportive relationship among local farmers, growers and community members helps create an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce, often at below retail prices. In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse selection of crops.

How does CSA work?

A farmer or grower, often with the help of a core group, draws up a budget reflecting the production costs for the year. This includes salaries, distribution costs, investments for seeds and tools, land payments and machinery maintenance. The budget is then divided by the number of people for which the farm will provide; this determines the cost of each share of the harvest.

One share is usually designed to provide the weekly vegetable needs for a family of four. Flowers, fruit, meat, honey, eggs and dairy products are also available through some CSA farms.

Members sign up and pay for their shares, either in one lump sum before the seeds are sown in early spring or in several installments through-out the growing season. Production expenses are thereby guaranteed and the farmer or grower starts receiving income as soon as work begins.

In return for their investment, members receive a bag of fresh, locally-grown produce once a week from late spring through early fall, and occasionally throughout the winter.

Members prefer a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, which encourages integrated cropping and companion planting. These practices help reduce risk factors and give multiple benefits to the soil. Crops are planted in succession in order to provide a continuous weekly supply of mixed vegetables. As crops rotate throughout the season, weekly shares vary by size and types of produce, reflecting local growing seasons and conditions.

Distribution and decision-making