The SuperMarket Project's Small FarmConnection Frequently Asked Questions

• What is CSA?
  
  
• Through the Eyes of a CSA Farmer
  
  
• What is the Small Farm Connection, formerly the Virtual CSA?
  
  
• CSA and Farmer's Market Locator
  
  
• Specifics and SFC Participating Coops, Frequently Asked Questions
  
  
• All SuperMarket Participants, Coop Directory
  
  
• Monthly policy pieces, the Juicer
  
  
• Monthly Farmer and Coop pieces, Food and Faces
  
  
• Coop Recipes

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What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and How Does It Work?

University of Massachusetts, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Massachusetts counties cooperating. UMass Extension offers equal opportunity in programs and employment. http://www.umass.edu/umext/csa/index.html

CSA reflects an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers; develop a regional food supply and strong local economy; maintain a sense of community; encourage land stewardship; and honor the knowledge and experience of growers and producers working with small to medium farms. CSA is a unique model of local agriculture whose roots reach back 30 years to Japan where a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and local farms. This arrangement, called "teikei" in Japanese, translates to "putting the farmers' face on food." This concept traveled to Europe and was adapted to the U.S. and given the name "Community Supported Agriculture" at Indian Line Farm, Massachusetts, in 1985. As of January 1999, there are over 1000 CSA farms across the US and Canada.

CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm's yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season's harvest. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season. Becoming a member creates a responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown and those who grow it.

This mutually supportive relationship between local farmers, growers and community members helps create an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce, often at below retail prices. In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse selection of crops.

How Does CSA Work? Money, Members and Management

A farmer or grower, often with the assistance of a core group, draws up a budget reflecting the production costs for the year. This includes all salaries, distribution costs, investments for seeds and tools, land payments, machinery maintenance, etc. The budget is then divided by the number of people for which the farm will provide and this determines the cost of each share of the harvest. One share is usually designed to provide the weekly vegetable needs for a family of four. Flowers, fruit, meat, honey, eggs and dairy products are also available through some CSA.

Community members sign up and purchase their shares, either in one lump sum before the seeds are sown in early spring, or in several installments through-out the growing season. Production expenses are thereby guaranteed and the farmer or grower starts receiving income as soon as work begins.

In return for their investment, CSA members receive a bag of fresh, locally-grown, typically organic produce once a week from late spring through early fall, and occasionally throughout the winter in northern climates and year-round in milder zones. Members prefer a wide variety of vegetables and herbs, which encourages integrated cropping and companion planting. These practices help reduce risk factors and give multiple benefits to the soil. Crops are planted in succession in order to provide a continuous weekly supply of mixed vegetables. As crops rotate throughout the season, weekly shares vary by size and types of produce, reflecting local growing seasons and conditions.

CSA vary considerably as they are based on farm or garden location, agricultural practices, and specific farm and community goals and needs. Memberships are known to include a variety of community members including low-income families, homeless people, senior citizens, and differently-abled individuals. If provided, an extra fee typically is charged for home delivery. Most CSA invite members to visit the farm and welcome volunteer assistance. Working shares are an option in some cases, whereby a member commits to three or four hours a week to help the farm in exchange for a discount on membership cost. Apprenticeships are growing in popularity on many CSA. For some farms they are an integral component of a successful operation. Apprenticeships offer valuable hands-on education. Property arrangements tend to be quite flexible. Beyond private ownership, there is leasing of land with lease fees factored in as a regular budget item. CSA is also an excellent opportunity for holding land in some form of trust arrangement. Every CSA strives over time for a truly sustainable operation, both economically and environmentally. Many try to develop to their highest potential by expanding to provide additional food items such as honey, fruit, meats, eggs, etc. Networks of CSA have been forming to develop associative economies by growing and providing a greater range of products in a cooperative fashion. Some CSA provide produce for local restaurants, roadside stands or farmers' markets while building farm membership, or in many cases, in addition to it.

Distribution and Decision-Making

Distribution styles also vary. Once the day's produce is harvested, the entire amount is weighed and the number of pounds or items (e.g. heads of lettuce, ears of corn) to be received by each share is determined. Some CSA have members come to the farm and weigh out their own share, leave members behind any items they don't want at a surplus table and possibly find something there they could use. Other farms have a distribution crew to weigh items and pack shares to be picked up my members at the farm or at distribution points.

Several advantages to the direct marketing approach of CSA, in addition to shared risk and pre-payment of farm costs, are the minimal loss and waste of harvested farm produce, little or reduced need for long-term storage, and a willingness by members to accept produce with natural cosmetic imperfections.

A core group made up of the farmers or growers, distributors and other key administrators, and several CSA members are often the decision-making body for CSA that determines short and long-range goals, prepares the budget, conducts publicity and outreach, organizes events, etc. Annual meetings, a member newsletter, and occasional surveys are some basic means of communication between the farm and its members.

Why Is Community Supported Agriculture Important?

CSA's direct marketing gives farmers and growers the fairest return on their products.

CSA keeps food dollars in the local community and contributes to the maintenance and establishment of regional food production.

CSA encourages communication and cooperation among farmers.

With a "guaranteed market" for their produce, farmers can invest their time in doing the best job they can rather than looking for buyers.

CSA supports the biodiversity of a given area and the diversity of agriculture through the preservation of small farms producing a wide variety of crops.

CSA creates opportunity for dialogue between farmers and consumers.

CSA creates a sense of social responsibility and stewardship of local land.

CSA puts "the farmers face on food" and increases understanding of how, where, and by whom our food is grown.

Through the Eyes of a CSA Farmer
Maria Inez Catalan is a farmer and member of Virtual CSA participating cooperative, Amo Organics.

I was born in 1962 in Santa Teresa, Guerrero, Mexico.

When I was 11 my parents divorced and my mother started going north to the U.S. for seasonal agricultural work. I never wanted to go because the people who came back from the U.S. talked about how much they suffered at work and said that Americans humiliated them and treated them like working machines.

In 1987 all of my family became permanent residents of the US in California. I however, stayed behind in Mexico with my young children. But I felt very alone. I wanted to be closer to my family, and so I came to the US where I worked for several years at different packing companies harvesting peppers, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, and more.

In 1993, after my mother had a work-related knee injury and had to go to court to get workers' compensation, we heard about an agricultural training program called the Rural Development Center (RDC). My mother applied and was accepted. The staff invited her to bring her children. We all went to the classes, but one by one my brothers dropped out. I stayed and learned about a different way of practicing agriculture -- without pesticides and fertilizers -- which I liked very much, especially because I could take my children with me to my parcel and teach them what I was learning.

On a RDC field trip, I went to a community garden in Santa Cruz, CA that had Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects. I brought back the idea to RDC that I could have a CSA for my community. At first they didn't think it was possible, but after many meetings I convinced them to give me a parcel to do it at my own risk. At first I was very excited because I was spending all my time planting, but I forgot about the most important part -- the members. When I was ready to harvest, my Mexican-American community was not interested. So I ended up publicizing my CSA to the Anglo-American community, but I was met with a lot of skepticism because many Anglo-Americans did not think that a Latina woman could be a good farmer. The first years were very difficult, but little by little the families gained confidence in me, and my ability to farm.

Now I try to cover the needs of the Anglo-American community but without forgetting my own people. The climate in the Salinas Valley favors the kinds of things we like to eat. My CSA produces many varieties of peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, squashes, cilantro, radishes, corn, onions, and garlic. We also grow kale, chard, lettuces, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, parsley, strawberries, beets, collards, and green beans.

Today I have a few members. They are families that are very conscious of the work that I am doing, and there is a lot of trust between us. They trust that I will have their food healthy, fresh, and economically, and I trust that they will support me when I need them. In 2001, one of my sons will be managing the CSA. He knows everything I know since he learned alongside me, and I will be near to guide him. I hope that all of my children will follow his example.

My goals for the future are to educate my community about nutrition and the dangers of pesticides, and for them to become conscious about organic food. My CSA, my participation as a member of the cooperative, Amo Organics and as a member of the Rural Coalition will provide me many opportunities to pursue this work.

What is the Small Farm Connection, formerly the Virtual CSA?

The Small Farm Connection, SFC, the Rural Coalition's national version based on the local CSA concept, is an offshoot of the SuperMarket Project, an Internet-based, marketing project launched in 1998, involving 14 producer coops.

The Small Farm Connection, in addition to sharing similarities with local CSA programs, also resembles a food-of-the-month club. However, unlike most clubs, education is a vital part of this subscription program.

The pilot phase of the Small Farm Connection began in April, 2001 and extended through September, involving six unique producer cooperatives in the United States. On the tenth of each month, the designated cooperative shipped a hand-packed box to all members, including products, recipes, cooperative information, and the shared story of farmers within the coop. The Rural Coalition included a farm policy piece related to the particular coop or current news each month.

The second phase of the project begins in October, 2001 under the newly chosen name, the Small Farm Connection!

How did the Small Farm Connection come about?

The idea for the Small Farm Connection, then the Virtual CSA originated during a training meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada in December, 2000. In the spirit of the project, we were having a group discussion of potential marketing outlets for SuperMarket products. There was very clear group concensus that SuperMarket producers did not just want to sell their products. They also wished to share their experience and their culture with people who really valued and supported small, organic or limited-resource farmers who care about the land and the food they grow. Partnerships with chain grocers or mass food brokers was not the ultimate achievement. In fact Fall River Wild Rice shared a situation with one chain that loved their wild rice chips but would only sell them if they could replace their trademark. Fall River discontinued that potentially profitable but disempowering partnership to forge ahead on their own.

Representatives from the 12 member, farming cooperative, Amo Organics shared their unique experiences with Community Supported Agriculture and the relationship it allowed between farmers and consumers. Almost like an ignition, mention of this local model started the entire room into an excited brainstorming session. Seasoned in technology after receiving computer systems in April of 1999, participants easily envisioned a collaborative CSA-like effort, administered through the project Web site and linking all producers virtually.

In that afternoon discussion, the Virtual CSA was born!

CSA and Farmer's Market Locator

CSA, Farmers' Market and Small Farms Directory
http://www.localharvest.org

"Local Harvest is a not-for-profit venture to sprout and grow a definitive and reliable "living" public directory of small farms nationwide, and in so doing to provide people with direct contact to farms in their local area. A "living" directory is more sustainable than a printed paper version, because it is always available and up to date, maintained "self-serve" by each listing subscriber. In addition, we designed the site to strengthen the Internet connection among direct-marketing farmers, offer them unique services, and lay the groundwork for additional optional direct-marketing opportunities."

CSA and Local Farm Directory
http://www.smallfarms.com/

Managed by SmallFarms.com - "The site where farmers and ranchers connect with you who appreciate variety, quality, and safety in food. We're talking about authentic farmer food here, grown to the personal standards of independent small farmers and ranchers for you, your family, our communities, and the natural environment:" You can search by state for CSAs, local farms and farm tours.

Farmer's Markets Directory
http://www.openair.org/

Compiled by Openair-Market Net - "This is the World Wide Guide to Farmers' Markets, Flea Markets, Street Markets, and Street Vendors. It is an all-volunteer research and educational project that aims to gather and provide information about open air marketplaces around the world, both formal and informal. This will aid (1) shoppers and tourists wanting to find out where inexpensive fun, good food, and bargains are all over the globe; (2) scholars, professionals, and planners who are interested in studying marketplace phenomena; and (3) vendors and farmers looking for places to sell or needing assistance. Every open air market related resource on the internet should be accessible from here."

Farmer's Markets Directory
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service - "Find a Farmer's Market in Your State! Year 2000 updates completed!"

CSA Directory
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csastate.htm

Compiled by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center and found on the USDA web site - "Community Supported Agriculture Farms by State. This database represents a collaborative effort by many organizations working in Community Supported Agriculture. They can provide additional information about CSA."

Guide to Web Sites of Farmers' Markets
http://www.homestead.com/marketfarm/marketsites.html

Compiled by Emarketfarm - "A directory of public farmers' market web sites, with more added all the time. There are more than 2800 public farmers' markets in the US, and many are building websites every week."