PROGRAMS :: Local Food Network

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers has many farmer-members who, like family farmers nationwide, are struggling to establish or maintain consistent local markets. CAFF believes that sustaining and increasing the number of family farms throughout California is critical to improving food security. Moreover, local farms and local food are increasingly valued for their contribution to our quality of life and community pride.

Communities taking ownership of their local food chain can create locally based business opportunities and broaden all citizens’ access to fresh, local foods.

We encourage you to become involved in building strong local food systems in your community. Join a CSA, advocate for local food in schools, or just bring your friends to a farmers’ market!

What Are CSA's?

• What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?
• The Benefits of CSAs
• A Few Questions to Ask When Choosing a CSA
• Agri-Tourism
• Find a CSA

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Over the past ten years an alternative to our anonymous food supply system has emerged: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Farms using this direct marketing method are changing the nature of conventional food shopping, where we are unlikely to know where our food is grown, let alone who grows it.

Member-subscribers to a community supported farm pay a seasonal, monthly, or weekly fee to receive regular shipments of fresh produce, which varies in content according to the season. The produce is generally harvested no more than a day before delivery to members, so it's fresher and more nutritious than what you will find in a supermarket.

This direct transaction between farmer and consumer is mutually beneficial. It eliminates the extra costs necessitated by a middle person, and it is more secure for farmers, because they have a known, reliable buyer. .

Most CSAs send out a newsletter with their boxes of produce, and some also include recipes and serving suggestions. Farms are usually open to member visits, and may also host work days, potlucks and harvest festivals.

The Benefits of CSAs

1. Very fresh produce The average "fresh" produce in a grocery store is 7-14 days old, has been selected for ease of picking and shelf-life, and has traveled approximately 1,500 environmentally expensive miles, losing nutrition and taste along the way. CSAs generally deliver within 24 hours of picking, and most use organic growing methods.
2. Your money goes directly to family farms Family-scale farm operations need support. Since 1981, more than 620,000 productive farms have disappeared, either bought by larger farms or "developed." In a conventional market system, only 25 cents of every food dollar goes to farmers, where with a CSA the entire dollar goes to the farmer.
3. Introduction to new varieties of produce Most supermarkets only offer 1-2 different kinds of any given fruit or vegetable. CSAs typically supply many different varieties of fruits and vegetables, including hard-to-find "heirloom" varieties.
4. A better understanding of where your food comes from Knowing where and by whom your food is grown will make you feel better about the food you eat. Your CSA box is a direct connection to local, seasonal produce.

A Few Questions to Ask When Choosing A CSA

How are prices set?
The member price for most CSAs is determined by a number of factors, such as:

• what the farm needs to earn to be economically viable
• quantity and diversity of the produce provided
• fair market value for such items.

Since all farms are unique, with each growing different crops in different ways, each CSA's harvest box is different. For example, one CSA might have an established fruit orchard or raspberry patch, while another supplies only vegetables and eggs.

What are the farming practices?
The farming practices of each CSA vary. A CSA farm may cultivate and till the soil with horses, avoiding fossil-fuel energy. Others see the need to grow as much food as possible with tractors and other moderate-scale farm technologies. Some CSAs are certified as organic or biodynamic, while others rely on the community to judge their stewardship efforts. The more you learn about different farming practices, the more you can determine what kind of farming you wish to support.

How can I get involved?
Most people's involvement with their CSA means picking up a box of produce. However, there is usually a "core group" of people who find ways to get more involved in the farm, such as:

• organizing a potluck
• helping with the newsletter
• fundraising for improvements

Ask your farmers or CSA organizers what ways they can use your volunteer energy.

How can I start a pick-up site?
CSAs usually drop-off their boxes of food at a "pick-up site." These sites may be at private residences, workplaces, or schools.
Usually the farm needs to have from 5 to 15 shares in an area to deliver to a designated pick-up site.

If you find a CSA that doesn't have a pick-up site near you, don't let that stop you from participating! Call the farm to find out how many shares they need in order to establish a new pick-up site and organize a group from your work, neighborhood, or place of worship. Often the CSA will offer a free box to a household if they volunteer to coordinate a new pick-up site.

Supporting family-scale farming through a CSA is one of the easiest steps one can take to maintain healthy communities. By committing to a CSA, you make local family farms a viable alternative to industrial agriculture.

Agri-Tourism

CAFF supports agricultural tourism opportunities, and in 1999 secured legislation opening vast opportunities for ag tourism among farmers throughout California. We encourage you to choose a farm stay by visiting UC Small Farm Center's ag tourism.

Contact:
Karrie Stevens Thomas
karrie@caff.org