What is a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) began initially in rural communities: farmers would arrange with their neighbors or people who lived nearby to sell them a portion of their crops for the whole season in exchange for the money up front. This enabled farmers to cover the initial start up costs of a season, which can be very high, and guarantee a market for their produce throughout the season. More recently, CSA has been developed as an arrangement between rural farmers and city folk who otherwise have very little access to fresh, local produce.

As Barbara Kingsolver commented in her book Small Wonder, "Americans have a taste for food that's been seeded, fertilized, harvested, processed, and packaged in grossly energy-expensive ways and then shipped, often refrigerated, for so many miles it might as well be green cheese from the moon." A CSA is an opportunity to challenge all of this - to buy and eat food that's locally-produced, minimally-packaged, and is grown in ways that support the health of the planet.

Taken from Hazon Website

Doing your part

As a member of the CSA, you are helping to sustain a local, independent farming network. CSA shares may not be the cheapest, but your money goes directly to a local farmer to grow your food. It maximizes their direct income to plan and plant more than any other market they serve including farmers markets.

As a member of the CSA, you are participating in sustainable living. By eating organic food you are encouraging proper land stewardship. By eating fresh food you are making nutritious, wholesome foods accessible. By eating local food, you are reducing your environmental impact as less fuel is being used to transport your produce.