by Sonja McCarter-Lawson
I get a lot of blank stares when I tell people I belong to a CSA. It’s not a political party. It isn’t a sorority. There’s no secret handshake. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it has changed my life.
Even those who’ve heard of CSAs sometimes suffer from the misconception that its only for antisocial people, or people who are against the new world order. They think it’s for people who are prepping for disaster by stocking up the pantry, while overloading on heavy artillery.
Let me be clear: while I do have a very full pantry, I also eat meat, shave my legs, and am entirely dependent on wireless email via my PDA. In other words, participating in a CSA doesn’t mean you have to give up your pedicure appointment or any other modern-day conveniences.
What is a CSA, you ask? Community Supported Agriculture helps local farmers by providing them with operating capital before their growing season starts. This minimizes their risk by allowing them the freedom to grow a wide variety of interesting, unusual produce, rather than only what’s guaranteed to sell.
So much of what we eat is produced on polluted factory farms, transported thousands of miles, and wrapped in paper and plastic. Then, it finally arrives at the grocer picture perfect and full of things we can’t pronounce.
So, how does a CSA work? CSAs are basically a variation of a food co-op. A group of interested individuals contract with a local farmer who agrees to provide weekly deliveries of seasonal produce to their neighborhood or to a drop-off point where they can pick up their goods. Often the produce is organic, but it isn’t always. It just depends on the farmer.
The farmer sets a price per share, which members pay in advance of the growing season. This gives the farmer up front capital for seeds, labor, and equipment.
By buying our food from local sources, we do more than just get fresh, seasonal produce. We support small farmers across the country and minimize the impact of agribusiness on the environment.
Support local farmers by finding a CSA co-op near you at http://www.localharvest.org/.
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