Spade & Spoon: Localizing the way Westerners Eat

The Growth of Community Supported Agriculture

By Kisha Lewellyn Schlegel, 3-13-07

	Photo by Chris Lombardi.

Each week, Spade & Spoon discusses the localization of the food system in the Rocky Mountain West by profiling organizations and individuals who are attending to the issues and possibilities of eating closer to home.

In 1965, a group of Japanese mothers grew concerned about their children’s increased consumption of imported foods and the associated loss of agricultural landscapes. In response, the women began teikei, the first Community Supported Agriculture projects that would encourage people to eat food grown in their communities, pay farmers an equitable amount and keep them farming. 

With similar concerns, women’s groups in Germany and Switzerland began their own CSA programs to encourage direct and cooperative relationships between producers and consumers. In 1984, the concept spread from Switzerland to the United States, where CSAs have become a growing subset of the agricultural market. The number of US farms that use Community Supported Agriculture has grown from 50 in 1990, to over 1,140 in 2005.

Most CSAs tend to work like a subscription to a magazine.  Much like readers pay for a year’s subscription up front, CSA members pay farmers $400-$600 at the beginning of the growing season. In return, they get a weekly “share,” a box of fresh produce.  Some farms also have winter shares, which range from $150-$300, and include the late season crops of onions, beets and squash, which can be stored through the winter. (Typically, produce is also organic.) The money provides the financial support that farmers need to begin the season, to buy seeds, equipment and even land.

As they have grown in popularity, two types of CSAs have evolved in the US to meet consumer expectations: The Subscription & The Shareholder:

The Subscription
This model is by far the most popular in the US, as over 75 percent of CSAs are subscription. With this farmer-driven model, the farmer manages all CSA decisions.  Subscribers receive produce each week and are not required to work on the farm or assist with the CSA.  In order to provide food, even if a crop fails, some farmers might also cooperate with other growers to provide subscribers with produce.

The Shareholder
This model is customer-driven as it usually features a core group of people who actually hire a farmer, lease or purchase land and then find subscribers to participate in the CSA. The core group makes key decisions about the farm and about who should be involved and at what level of participation. Ultimately, the shareholder reaps the benefits of bounty and suffers the consequences of lost crops. 

Of course, there are endless iterations of these models. Some CSA farmers provide a subscription service, but also require members to work a certain number of hours and participate as a shareholder might.  Many make this requirement, even as more customers prefer to subscribe and go, because CSAs cause an increase in farm work. In addition to planting, irrigating and harvesting, farmers must market the CSA and then package and distribute the food each week. Without volunteers, the added work leads to labor shortages, longer work hours and fatigue.

Other Subscription based farms do not supplement their shares with produce from other farms. If the tomatoes don’t ripen or the spinach bolts, then the member will not have tomatoes or spinach. The eater is viewed as a participant in the farm rather than just a recipient.

Whatever form, the CSA model provides farmers with the capital necessary to begin the growing season.  In return, the partnership limits the distance between farm and table and tangibly connects eaters with farmers and the land.

For those of us without lawns to replace with a garden or a north facing balcony that no tomato could survive, Community Supported Agriculture can provide a local alternative.

This time of year, many farmers already have a list of CSA members, but will usually allow people to join well into the season.  If you are looking for a CSA this season, you can start with Local Harvest’s database.  The organization also maps farmers’ markets and some restaurants and grocers committed to buying and selling local food, but information for the Rocky Mountain West is spotty at best.

A better alternative to an internet search is to visit your local Farmers’ Market, the very first of the year, and meet a farmer or two (they are the reason for the season) and ask…

How much does a summer share cost?
Do you have a sliding scale fee for lower income participants?
How much food will I get each week?
Is it enough/too much for a family of 4?
Do you include information on how to preserve any extra food I might have?
Will I need to come to the Farmers’ Market each week to pick up food?
Do you require participants to work at the farm? If so, how much?
What if I’m gone for a week?
What happens to my share while I’m on vacation?
Do you grow more kale than carrots?

Just as readers have different tastes, so do eaters. And like a magazine, it’s good to view the product before you subscribe for a season. CSA shares can require a certain level of commitment beyond the initial funds and understanding what those are before you sign up will help you find the right subscription. Why get a summer of Us Weekly, when you really want The New Yorker?

Look for the Spade & Spoon column here every Tuesday. If you have article ideas for Spade & Spoon (www.newwest.net/spadeandspoon), email kisha@newwest.net.

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