Welcome to your healthy eating resource


Community Supported Agriculture for Organic Food

Having trouble buying thethe land in your area and elevating
highest-quality seasonal organicenvironmental consciousness.
produce? Unable to find a wide variety"Most CSAs offer a diversity of
of natural and organic fruits andvegetables, fruits and herbs in season,"
vegetables to bring home? Lack thethe USDA notes. "Some provide a full
backyard space to grow your own naturalarray of farm produce, including shares
and organic foods? If you live in anin eggs, meat, milk, baked goods and
area where shopping for organic foodeven firewood. Some farms offer a single
poses a challenge, don't throw in thecommodity or team up with others so that
all-natural kitchen towel! Manymembers receive goods on a more nearly
Americans in similar circumstances haveyear-round basis. Some are dedicated to
found the perfect solution: communityserving particular community needs, such
supported agriculture, or "CSA." Firstas helping to enfranchise homeless
popular in Japan and Switzerland in thepersons. Each CSA is structured to meet
1960s, the CSA movement has -- pardonthe needs of the participants, so many
the pun -- taken root with a vengeancevariations exist, including the level of
in the United States, where it isfinancial commitment and active
sometimes referred to as "subscriptionparticipation by the shareholders;
farming." How, exactly, does a CSA work?financing, land ownership and legal form
By definition, CSAs are composed of "aof the farm operation; and details of
community of individuals who pledgepayment plans and food distribution
support to a farm operation so that thesystems." Luckily, the Internet has made
farmland becomes, either legally orit easy to track down a CSA in your
spiritually, the community's farm, witharea. Several excellent online
the growers and consumers providingdirectories provide CSA listings: Santa
mutual support and sharing the risks andCruz, California-based Local Harvest, a
benefits of food production," accordingsupporter of "buying local" and organic
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.farming since 1988, has a wonderful,
Community members -- usually referred tocomprehensive online search engine. You
as farm "shareholders" -- pledge tomay also search for farmers' markets,
share the expected costs of a farm'sorganic restaurants and food co-ops.
operation, including the farmer'sThe Sustainable Agriculture Research and
salary.Education (SARE) Program at Utah State
Members can stipulate that all produceUniversity in Logan has a fully
must be grown under the strict tenets ofsearchable CSA locator, organized by
organic farming and organic gardeningstate. Links to individual farms are
practices. Each individual's investmentonly a mouse click away.
yields a share of farm crops -- not toThe Biodynamic Farming and Gardening
mention a close connection to freshlyAssociation, headquartered in Junction
picked organic produce that hasn't beenCity, Oregon, also has a great guide. It
sitting on grocery shelves for days orspecifies whether farms are
even weeks.conventional, organic or biodynamic (a
Perhaps CSA expert Elizabeth Henderson,more "cosmic" approach to farming; click
author of "Sharing the Harvest: A Guidehere for a thorough description).
to Community-Supported Agriculture,"These websites also allow you to add
puts it best: "Starting a communityyour local CSA to their resource guide
supported agriculture project is aso you can publicize your community's
little like having a baby -- you unleashefforts -- a move that will attract more
biological and social forces that mayshareholders.
take you in directions you neverFor additional information on setting up
expected." As a shareholder, youor joining a CSA, visit the SARE online
demonstrate respect for the earth bystore, where you may purchase a wide
taking responsibility for organicrange of books and reference guides for
farming practices, energy-efficientdeveloping a sustainable agricultural
production and distribution, payingsolution in your hometown.
local farmers a decent wage, controlling



1 A B C D E 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128