Support the land that feeds you

In the last century modern agriculture has steadily been subsumed into the world of corporate business. Americans experienced a disconnect from the cultivation and growth of their food in relation to both the grower and the land on which it is grown. Farming has become less about planting, land quality, and seasonal change and more about meeting the demands of our consumer culture. Even large organic companies, the healthier option, use up literally tons of fossil fuels to truck their produce thousands of miles across the country to provide us as the consumers with a year-round variety of vegetables and fruits. However, growing in popularity is a food production model that is based on relationship. The relationship that is between producer, consumer, and the land on which the food that nourishes and sustains us is grown. Community Supported Agriculture is a model of farming where the consumer directly supports the farmer who works the land and produces the food. This model is based on the philosophy where “what you consume locally is produced locally” (1). Support can come through pledging a certain amount of money each year to maintain a predetermined budget, or through purchasing a box of produce each month or week, the contents of which are determined by what is in season and available. Support can also manifest itself in good old fashioned working for what you eat, i.e. active participation on the land.
The formalized concept of CSA existed in both Japan and Germany before it was established in the US in the 1980’s. The beginning of such communities called Teikei in Japan was motivated by a concern for the source and growth of their fresh produce, similar to the concerns of present day Americans. The true inspiration for the first CSA farms, however, was from Swiss anthroposophical writings introduced to the Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts in 1986. The Indian Line Farm was primarily influenced by the ideas of philosopher Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), which were concerned with the bond between producer and consumer created by their mutual interest and needs. He sought to develop a system that benefited the producer, consumer, and the land. As time went on more CSA farms began to form. There were variations in the organization and design, however they were all inspired by the desire to create a community experience of food production, cultivation, distribution, and utilization. The Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts was able to act as model for other CSA’s looking for more stability through available and affordable land for their farmers. Consumers of the Indian Line Farm were even able to partner with a community land trust and nature conservation and purchase secure land for their farmers (2).
The joint purchase of land by consumers for the sake of the farmers is a perfect example of the philosophy of Community Supported Agriculture in action. It represents how the cultivation and success of the land affects the farmers as well as the consumers. Today's standard methods of farming, purchasing, and consuming distance the consumer from the producer and the land that produces, making it easy to forget or ignore how our lifestyles and culture effect our food production. In the name of progress we have turned a blind eye to valuable farmland being zoned for development as well as farming practices that subject the soil to erosion and cause contamination that has long term effects on the soil and the surrounding eco-systems. In a CSA farm land treatment and production have direct effects on the consumers, who have invested money, time and/or physical labor. If there is a poor harvest, both the farmers and the consumers experience the loss, as opposed to popular agriculture where the farmers solely bear the burden. This aspect of shared risk creates the foundation of community in CSA farms. In fact the most successful CSA’s are the ones with a strong sense of core community, as opposed to ones with a more independent farmer base. They are driven by creative methods and a strong commitment to their community, which some CSA communities manifest through food donations or providing agriculture education opportunities.
CSAs are experiencing a new wave of growth and evolution. Some are creating co-ops with multiple farms to provide their subscribers with fresh cheese, jams, eggs and a greater variety of fruits and vegetables. This growth is being contributed to by the need for alternative agriculture during a time when the US Congress is pulling support for organic farmers. The House of Representatives was recently introduced a bill that “would eliminate funding for a cost-sharing program that helps farmers defray the costs for organic certification.” (3).

Even though sales of organic foods are higher than non organic, Congress still spent $2 million in 2009 alone on subsidies on commodity crops such as corn, cotton, soy and wheat, in comparison to the average of $300 per farm for organic agriculture. (3) One appeal of Community Supported Agriculture is that is completely independent of any government support or funding. All it needs is good land, farmers, and a strong community willing to support them. There is also private support available such as the Equity Trust, Inc whose non profit “help communities to gain ownership interests in land and other local resources, and we work with people to make economic changes that balance the needs of individuals with the needs of the community, the earth, and future generations.” (4).

CSA’s are an excellent example of the alternative methods that are available for us to live sustainable lifestyles. The main page of Equity Trust Inc commits to “changing the spirit and character of our material relationships”. In a culture where consumerism is driven by individual needs and satisfactions, it becomes easy to forget that what we view as needs are often conveniences or wants that can negatively effect those around us even in very minor ways. Any community, whether it be a CSA, a neighborhood, a city, religious or global, is only successful when it respects the symbiotic relationship of its participants. We rely on each other to support and sustain, just like we rely on the land to produce and it often needs us to properly cultivate to maximize long term and sustaining production. Our relationship with the land is like our relationships with one another. It cannot work if it is based primarily on what we take from it. Success will only be derived when we recognize and respect our reliance on and interactions with one another.

1. http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0204/csa2/part2.shtml
2. http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml
3. http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20110126_new-congress-shows-hostility-to-organic-farming
4. http://www.equitytrust.org/index.htm

Find a local CSA near you!!!!
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Other resources:
http://unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu24ee/uu24ee00.htm#Contents
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml
http://www.sandiegoroots.org/csa.html