Community Supported Agriculture CSA

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Community Supported Agriculture(CSA)
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What is Community Supported Agriculture?

• A partnership between farmers and consumers
  where the responsibilities and rewards of farming
  are shared

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Where did it come from?

• Partnerships between producers and consumers
• 1200-1350 craft guilds
• 1985 the social economy
• Japan, UK, Germany, Chile, USA

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How does it work?

• Consumer members commit in advance, to buying
  their food directly from the CSA farm
• In return they have the opportunity to influence
  the running of the CSA

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Who is involved in CSA?

• Farmers
• Consumers (members)
• Core/management group
• Other agencies

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CSA models

• Subscription farmer driven
• Shareholder consumer driven
• Farmer co-operative farmer driven involving 2
  or more farms
• Farmer-consumer co-operative as above but with
  high consumer involvement

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CSA shares

• CSA share typically could include
• Vegetables
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Meat
• Honey
• Other value added products

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Distribution methods

• Box schemes
• Farm shops
• Farmers markets

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CSA farm activities

• Open days
• Festivals and Celebrations
• Workshops
• Conservation work

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Benefits of CSA

• Farmers - financial security, direct feedback
  from consumers, communication and co-operation
• Consumers - reconnect with the land, sense of
  belonging to a community, improved health, better
  value for money
• Society environmental, regional food
  production, local economy, national food
  security, social networks, social responsibility,
  sense of community and trust

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How can I get involved?

• Every single purchase you make as a consumer has
  an effect on the environment
• Buy local
• Buy organic or biodynamic produce
• Visit your local environment centre
• Join a CSA farm
• Start a CSA farm

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Community Supported Agriculture(CSA)