From the IN CONTEXT pages http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC42/VanEn.htm
by Robyn Van En
The origin of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept, the
partnership between consumers and farmers, can be traced to Japan in
the mid-1960s. Homemakers began noticing an increase in imported
foods, the consistent loss of farmland to development, and the
migration of farmers to the cities.
In 1965, a group of women approached a local farm family with an idea
to address these issues and provide their families with fresh fruits
and vegetables. The farmers agreed to provide produce if multiple
families made a commitment to support the farm. A contract was drawn
and the "teikei" concept was born, which translated literally means
partnership, but philosophically means "food with the farmer's face
on it." Clubs operating under the teikei concept in Japan today serve
thousands of people sharing the harvest of hundreds of farmers.
The First CSA
This innovative idea did not come to the US until the mid-1980s. At
that time, I was in my second season as owner of Indian Line Farm.
Many small farmers across the country were struggling with the
financial realities of market gardening. Several of us, with the CSA
concept at the tip of our thinking, had no real model to crystallize
the thought. "Subscription farming" - paying on a weekly/monthly
basis - existed and experienced significant support and proliferation
through Booker T. Whatley's book, How to Make $100,000 Farming 25
Acres (Rodale, 1987). However, it did not address limited financial
resources at the beginning of the growing season or the question of
community support.
Then, in summer of 1985, Jan Van Tuin came to Indian Line Farm fresh
with the experience of helping organize a Swiss version of the
Japanese Teikei clubs. He and I talked briefly and decided that the
Swiss experience was perfect to apply at Indian Line Farm. We
attracted a core group of organizers and after many long discussions,
dubbed the proposed endeavor "Community Supported Agriculture," and
introduced the concept to the Great Barrington community that Fall.
We offered shares of some of the local apple harvest, and members
received storage apples and jugs of cider each week. Most of the
families from the apple project bought shares in the vegetable
harvest for the following season.
Today, there are at least 500 active examples of this original US
initiative throughout North America. Each year, the number of CSA
farms and participating members increases dramatically. Though there
are variations on the basic theme, most successful CSA projects begin
with a central group of consumers and producers who draw up a budget
which reflects yearly production costs.
The budget includes all salaries of the farmer/gardener, distribution
and administration costs, plus costs of seeds, soil amendments, small
equipment, etc. The resulting figure is divided by the number of
shares that the farm/garden site can produce for; this determines the
costs of a "share" of the harvest. A share is designed to feed 2-4
people with a mixed diet or 1-2 vegetarians by providing all of their
vegetable needs for one week. Larger households and restaurants buy
multiple shares. The consumer group of sharers agree to pay their
share of production costs and also share the financial risk with the
producers. In return, the sharers receive a bag of local,
same-day-fresh, typically organic vegetables and herbs once a week
all summer, and once a month all winter (East of the Rockies), if a
root cellar or cold storage unit is available. Projects typically
provide at least 40 different crops, and Indian Line Farm was able to
feed 300 people 43 weeks of the year from five acres of land.
Incentive to Farm
We are still in the pioneer stage of introducing and adapting CSA to
North America - home to the cheapest food in the world. Few CSA
farmers are turning a profit, but they are covering all or most of
their production costs, including a guaranteed salary. As our video
states, "It's not just about vegetables;" most CSA growers are in it
for the long haul. The evolving community relationship of CSA
actually gives incentive and means to continue farming or to enter
the field (no pun intended), with the highest standard of land
stewardship practices.
The CSA system also gives farmers financial credibility; I know that
the CSA guaranteed income helped me get my farm mortgage. When
lenders see that people are willing to take this risk with farmers,
they begin to take more risks and try alternatives.
The annual commitment and relationship with the members also affects
our ability to cope with unexpected setbacks. After a rainstorm
dumped eight inches of rain in three hours, the winter baking squash
had to be picked prematurely. Everybody froze, dried, and ate as much
as they could, but it was basically a $35 loss to each share. That
would have been a $3500 loss to an individual farmer.
People usually join a CSA project for fresh, ripe, and local foods
(most store-bought vegetables are picked green and ripen in transit
to the store shelf). With access to a farm, many are dazzled by the
bounty and wonders of nature. I love to see grown people awed by the
delicate beauty of a carrot seedling. People start eating vegetables
they never liked before because they had never tasted them
vine-ripened and chemical-free.
CSA members are supporting a regional food system, securing the
agricultural integrity of their region, and participating in a
community-building experience by getting to know their neighbors and
who grows their food.
CSA also helps bridge socio-economic gaps. Intelligence and knowing
you like good, fresh food has nothing to do with money, status, or
where you live. Members range from people who use food stamps to
those who pay extra to have their vegetables delivered. Together they
guarantee that local farmers survive and ensure that their children
and grandchildren can eat from the same farm.
Community Supported Auto Mechanics
Because the CSA concept is about building community, the logical
evolution is to community support of almost any cottage industry.
Members would pay for a tune-up and oil change at the beginning of
the year. This "cash advance" allows the mechanic to pay for the new
lift they otherwise wouldn't have money to buy. This kind of
community trust-building takes relationships to a whole new level.
That's why agribusinesses will not be able to co-opt the CSA concept.
They just can't put the heartbeat into it.
One of the most exciting outgrowths of the CSA movement has been the
formation of CSA coalitions - where farmers get together to share
growing techniques, crops, and equipment. Because of their guaranteed
incomes, CSA farmers are immune to the "bigger is better," "mine is
better" syndrome and are instead focused on finding new ways to
cooperate with their neighbors and with Mother Nature.
CSA is also a vehicle for transition away from using chemical
fertilizers. The opportunity for education and dialogue CSA creates
between food producers and food eaters creates options toward low/no
chemical input. Money out-front allows farmers to do the best job
they can by the way of the land, the customer, and themselves.
As we go full circle, I have had the pleasure of co-hosting a group
of Japanese teikei organizers and of networking with Swiss visitors,
sharing with them information on CSA projects in their own countries.
I routinely get requests for my publication, A Basic Formula to
Create Community Supported Agriculture, from some 25 other countries
around the world. Same solutions, one world.
Robyn Van En, co-founded CSA in the US in 1985. She is the director
of CSA North America. For CSA contacts, please refer to the Resource
section in this issue.