Community Supported Agriculture

The new buzz word in the green world is Community Supported Agriculture, but: What is it? How does it work? How does it help the environment? It is about supporting local growers of food (and the idea is not so new). Instead of buying grapes from Chile, buy them from the farmer down the road. Not only will they be fresher, they will also be less damaging to the environment, since they travel a much shorter route. Additionally, many if not most are organic farmers.

Some communities have “subscription farms”. These are growers who offer their clients a subscription to their products. The way it works is, a farmer will charge a certain amount of money, lets say $150.00 per month, and it will deliver a certain amount of produce each week, lets say ten pounds a week. The box of produce will contain a variety of fruits and vegetables that are grown by a particular farm, or it may be a small cooperative of farmers who provide the contents of the box.

Another alternative to this model is the good old farmers market. Many communities hold them on a weekly basis. Again, these are local farmers who offer their products at a reasonable price, and also have the advantage of short travel distance and freshness.

I am intrigued by the subscription idea. Though I often buy produce, honey, pollen, and flowers at farmers markets, I personally have not participated in the subscription method of buying produce. I love the idea of finding a box full of goodies at my door. And I particularly like the idea of getting produce that may be unfamiliar to me. What an opportunity to get out of a rut and try new things.

Here in California we are blessed with a bounty of fresh produce, both organic and conventional; as well as a plethora of farmers markets. Here in San Diego County you can shop at a farmers market every day of the week, and there are several subscription farms offering their products as well. I am sure that every community has local growers selling their products to the consumer, even if the idea of subscription farming has not caught on yet. Check it out, and let me know what you think.