Musings on the Idea of Community Supported Agriculture

by Alison Wiediger

CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, means different things to different people. From its beginnings, it has evolved into many interesting and diverse forms. It has the wonderful goals of consumers and farmers coming together in support of growing healthful food and farmers making a living growing that food. The ways of meeting those goals are as diverse as the consumers and farmers themselves, but the fact remains that it brings those of us who farm and those who purchase our food much closer together.

It is, perhaps, a sad facet of our culture that most Americans associate purchasing their food with either grocery stores or restaurants. These outlets have spoiled us with colors and varieties that transcend any seasonality. What month of the year can we not buy strawberries if we want them? When are there not melons available? We as a people have lost the connection between our food and the way it is grown.

CSA, in whatever guise, helps to re-forge those connections. As consumers, when we buy food direct from a farmer, we can immediately gather many facts about that food. We can ask the farmer exactly how it was grown: whether any pesticides were used and when, what variety it is, how long ago it was harvested, even how to cook or preserve it.

We make a connection with that farmer - he/she worked hard to provide the food we eat, and we, in turn, are willing to pay a fair price that allows the farming to continue. As farmers, when we sell the product of our labor to a family, whether it is vegetables, fruits, eggs or meat, we get immediate positive feedback.

Farmers in this country are often not respected for their career choice, but farmers providing directly to the consumer are respected and appreciated for their efforts by the families that support them. This appreciation transcends a simple monetary transaction, it makes us more like family, it helps us persevere in trying times, it makes it all worthwhile.

So, whether you are a consumer who wants more connection to the grower of the food you eat, or a farmer needing to connect with people who appreciate you for growing healthy food, some definition of Community Supported Agriculture can work for you. The effort to forge those connections will be well worth it, on both sides.