Badri Prakash Ojha
The term community supported agriculture (CSA) was coined in the northeastern United States in the 1980s. European biodynamic agriculture ideas, formulated by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian-German scholar, helped coin the term.
Two European farmers, Jan Vander Tuin from Switzerland and Trauger Groh from Germany, brought their European biodynamic farming ideas to the United States in the mid-1980s. Vander Tuin had co-founded a community-supported agricultural project named Topinambur located near Zurich, Switzerland. The coinage of the term, CSA, stems from Vander Tuin, whose influence led to the separate and simultaneous creation of two CSAs in 1986.
The CSA Garden in Great Barrington in Massachusetts was created by Jan Vander Tuin, Susan Witt and Robyn Van En. The Temple-Wilton Community Farm first happened in New Hampshire, USA. Anthony Graham, Trauger Groh, and Lincoln Geiger created it.
One of the founders, Robyn Van En, became incredibly influential in the CSA movement in the USA and founded CSA North America in 1992. Temple-Wilton Community Garden was more successful and still operates as a CSA today. It became an important member of the Wilton community and received funding from state, federal, and local sources.
In the 1990s, CSA farms were organised throughout North America, mainly in New England, the Northwest, the Pacific coast, the Upper-Midwest and Canada. North America now has at least 13000 CSA farms, of which 12600 are in the US, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The rise of CSAs seems to be correlated with the increase in awareness of the environmental movement in the United States.
CSAs have even become popular in urban environments such as the New York City Coalition Against Hunger's CSA programme that helps serve under-served communities. One of the largest subscription CSAs was Capay Inc. in Capay Valley, California, which in 2010 delivered boxes to 13000 customers a week and sold at 15 farmers markets, operating a retail store, and delivering special orders to restaurants.
CSA was introduced to China following a series of food safety scandals in the late 2000s. It is estimated that there were more than 500 hundred CSA farms in China by 2017. They have been a critical force in the development of organic and ecological farming in China. Chinese CSA farmers, researchers and civil society organisations gather annually at the national CSA symposium held since 2009.
Much of the growth in women's labour participation in agriculture is outside the male-dominated field of conventional agriculture. In community-supported agriculture, women represent 40 per cent of farm operators.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.
The Department has underlined four points for the traditional CSA model: the CSA members share the risks and benefits of food production with the farmer, members buy a share of the farm's production before each growing season, in return, they receive regular distributions of the farm's bounty throughout the season and finally the farmer receives advance working capital, gains financial security, earns better crop prices, and benefits from the direct marketing plan.
The department also defines business models for CSAs as diverse and innovative. Producers have adopted the CSA model to fit a variety of emerging direct marketing opportunities, including institutional health and wellness programmes; multi-farm systems to increase scale and scope; seasonal extension technologies; and incorporating value-added products, offering flexible shares, and flexible electronic purchasing and other e-commerce marketing tools.
Unlike conventional agriculture, in which farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community-supported agriculture the entire community shares both bounty and scarcity.
Such cooperation lets farmers and consumers share in the risks and benefits of farming. Unlike conventional agriculture, in which farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community-supported agriculture, the entire farm community shares both bounty and scarcity. This cooperation can provide farmers with a more equitable return for their labour and investment while relieving some of the burdens and uncertainties of conventional marketing.
CSA also encourages ecologically sound farming practices such as organic or biodynamic growing methods. This type of farming also minimises food waste by producing just the amount of food members need, with a minimal unused surplus.
CSA is perhaps best known for how it fosters connections between urban dwellers and the land and encourages cooperation among rural and urban communities. Members can visit their CSA farms and help plant and harvest crops. Many farms host field days, produce newsletters, and hold workshops that educate members about sustainable farming and healthy food choices.
These activities, in addition to festivals and potlucks, bring people together socially throughout the season. At the same time, consumers gain a new voice in how their food is grown, processed, and distributed and where their food dollars are going.
How CSA works
Early in the year, members of CSA Farms paid a fee to cover anticipated costs of the upcoming season, including labour, seeds and supplies. Membership fees vary but typically run between $300 and $500 per year for a household. In return, members receive a weekly portion of the farm's harvest throughout the growing season. The harvested food is divided into shares and distributed to members through centrally located drop-off sites, often on a member's front porch or picked up at the farm. Members and farmers often work together to harvest crops and distribute food.
Typically family-operated, CSA farms range from 3 to 300 acres and provide food for 10 to more than 200 households. CSA farms are highly diversified, growing more than 40 different vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Some farms also supply meat, eggs, honey, and other products.
In Wisconsin, CSA farms provide food for up to eight months by making successive plantings and using greenhouses and root cellars to extend the seasons.
CSA projects rely to varying degrees on member volunteers to work on the farm and help with various tasks. Many CSA farms could not survive without a core group of committed volunteers who help manage distribution sites, plan the harvest, and recruit new members. Assuming these responsibilities, the core group enables the farmers to produce food and care for the land.
CSA has diverse goals and forms. Some projects have incorporated innovative land use to help solve social problems in urban areas. In Santa Cruz, California, a 2.5-acre lot was turned into a CSA project that offers homeless people an opportunity to work and serve the community. On the east coast, the Food Farm Bank in Amherst, Massachusetts, provides fresh vegetables for local food pantries in addition to providing CSA shares to those who can afford to be members.
(Ojha has a PhD in agricultural communication in the development sector. He can be reached at: badrio@gmail.com)
