Community Supported Agriculture: The BOLD Way to Buy Food

Image Courtesy of How Stuff Works

Although we’ve mentioned community supported agriculture (CSA) in previous posts, we haven’t actually talked about what CSAs really are or how they work. This post will give you some valuable information about these groups to help you determine if joining a CSA might be the right choice for you.

Becoming part of a community supported agriculture (CSA) group is one of the best investments you can make as part of your commitment to be BOLD. A CSA is formed when a group of people come together to pay a share of a farm’s expenses. In return, the farmer provides a box full of fruits, vegetables, and sometimes meat and dairy products to each individual every week. So, instead of paying for a certain number of pounds of fruits, vegetables, or beef, members of a CSA simply receive a weekly share of those crops that are in-season.

The farmer will either deliver these boxes directly to each group member’s home, or arrange a location at which each group member can pick-up his or her box. Most CSAs begin around April or May and last until September or October. Being supported by a CSA allows the farmer not to worry about profits, and instead focus on the quality of his or her crops and animals, as well as on excellent customer service.

CSAs began in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan in the early 1960s. People living in these countries were concerned about the increased development of land that had previously been used only for farming. They were worried that the increased development would cause the food they purchased in local supermarkets to be unsafe to eat. Groups of consumers and farmers came together to form partnerships in which the consumers would pay to fund local farms that were in danger of losing their land to development in exchange for a share of the farm’s crops each season. The idea of CSAs was brought to the North America in 1984 by Jan VanderTuin. 

So, there you have it. As a member of a CSA, you help support local farmers and improve the health of both you and your family with the continued purchase of delicious locally-grown, organic foods. For a list of Maryland farms that participate in CSAs, you can visit the Maryland Agriculture web site.