Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA)
What is a community supported agriculture?
A movement across the United States that emphasizes growing fresh food by buying stocks from a farmer. Once a person buys a stock, they become a member of the program, and will receive seasonal produce each week.
Advantages for Farmers
Farmers are able to receive cash flow in order to finance their production of produce. Farmers often struggle with debt at the beginning of their growing season and CSA provides funds so they can get started. They also get an early start on the growing season and are able to meet the consumer's of the produce they sell ( Demuth, Suzanne, 1993).
Advantages for Consumers
Advantages for consumers include being able to get extremely fresh food full of vitamins and nutrients. Consumers are able to learn more about the food grown on the farm and develop a relationship with their own farmer ( Local Harvest Inc., 2007) .
A Green Alternative to Farming
Community supported agriculture focuses on the healthy, environmentally safe production of produce and other food items ( Briggs, Rebecca, 2012) . CSA's combine elements of ecology, health, learning, and interaction with the community. By providing education on how to eat healthy and how to produce fruits and vegetables with environmentally safe procedures.
Food Network: Community Supported Agriculture