At the beginning of the twentieth century, 25 percent of Americans were directly involved in agriculture. By the 1960s, that proportion had fallen to five percent, even though the population increased dramatically. The two trends have accelerated, and although the United States has more than 300 million residents, only 1.8 percent are employed as farmers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half the agricultural workforce is self-employed, and the total number of people working as farmers and fishers continues to decline. Meanwhile, farms that generate more than $250,000 in annual sales make up less than 10 percent of all farms, but supply three-quarters of all agricultural output. This means fewer Americans than ever have direct contact with the way their food is grown.
A new way of growing and buying produce emerged in the late 1980s; it borrowed aspects of community life and commerce from the past, and introduced updated practices. In these ways, it offered an alternative to highly centralized and mechanized agriculture, sometimes called factory farming. This new method became known as community-supported agriculture (CSA).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the following definition of CSA: “. . . a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers
and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Members or shareholders of the
farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land. Members also share in risks, including poor harvest due to unfavorable weather or pests.”
Origins of CSA
In some ways, having a community support a farm is as old as agriculture itself—but a few things make the current models different. For one thing, buying directly from a farmer is now the exception for most consumers, rather than the norm. For another, buyers are motivated by desires for fresh produce, high quality, local availability, and, for some, a connection with the land. This is directly at odds with customers driven only by price.
As it has become known, CSA began in Europe in the 1960s, and in Japan before that. The person most often credited with introducing it to the United States is Jan VanderTuin of Switzerland. He inspired the development of two CSA projects in the 1980s—one in
Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. The idea caught on quickly, and community groups across the country founded their own CSAs. Today, every state has some kind of CSA; the latest lists have more than 1500 farms.
Community-supported agriculture of North America at the University of Massachusetts—Extension traces the origins of the CSA concept to a group of women in Japan who were concerned about rising food imports and declining rates of farm employment. They established a direct buying system with local farms with the idea of “putting the farmers’ face on food.”
Philosophical Roots
Early leaders in the development of CSAs in the United States had several goals:
- Create community connections between city dwellers and rural residents.
- Encourage the development of sustainable growing practices.
- Bring control over food production back to the local level.
- Reduce or eliminate packaging and distribution costs.
- Develop strong local economies.
Subscription and Shareholder Models
Most CSAs use one of two models: subscription or shareholder.
A subscription CSA depends on the farmer to organize and manage the structure. In most cases, subscribers are not required to participate in the farm work. One variation on this model is a cooperative, in which two or more farmers collaborate to provide a greater variety of goods. Most CSAs are based on this model.
In a shareholder CSA, the customers form a buying group and seek out a farmer or group of farmers to grow the produce. The group may find an existing farm to hire, or it may decide to buy, lease, or rent farmland and take on a farmer as an employee. Members of the
buying group may also work on the farm, but most will simply pay for their shares.
How a CSA Works
At the beginning of a year, the leaders of each CSA estimate their production costs for the growing season ahead. This includes everything from the tools that turn over the first row of soil to the containers that carry the last harvest to subscribers. The buying group divides
that budget according to the volume each person or family has committed to buy. In the simplest structures, each individual pays the same amount of money and receives the same amount of produce. In practice, variations are almost inevitable.
As the growing season proceeds, each shareholder receives a portion of the regular harvests. The kind and variety of produce changes as different crops mature. In the most common arrangements, shares are bundled each week, intended to supply the vegetables a
family of four will need until the next share is available. In general, shareholders pick up their own produce, or designate one person to pick up from the farm and deliver to others in the buying group. Depending on the number and size of farmers and buyers involved,
the shares can range from vegetables to eggs, dairy products, fruit, honey, herbs, or flowers—even meat.
Some members of the buying group pay their full year’s share at once; this helps provide the money needed for seeds, labor and other needs early in the season. Other members may pay for each share as it arrives; this makes CSA produce available to people who may not have enough money to buy their produce months in advance.
Not all CSA products are organic, and because the customers have already agreed to buy the produce, the farmer has no market incentive to pursue organic certification. But organic growing methods are consistent with CSA practices, so most of the produce does meet the commonly held definition of organic. Crops are often rotated during the year to provide variety in the weekly shares, and from year to year to improve the vitality of the soil. All crops depend on the local climate, which determines the length of the growing season.
Growing Variety
As CSA has become more popular, more innovations have appeared. Some CSAs have become land stewardship projects, others have begun offering home delivery, and still others have created apprenticeships, where the next generation of farmers will learn the trade. Each CSA has its own characteristics, which reflect the values of the people who participate.
