Community supported agriculture, or CSAs, are popping up all over the country. They provide a viable income for small farms that want to remain in the black, without getting sucked into the void of Monocrops and Big Ag companies. As a customer (or shareholder), you own a part of what the farm is producing. Your part (or share) comes to you on a weekly basis, for a pre established number of weeks. Often, a share is offered in 1/2 or whole parts, and usually there is some work time that is traded for a reduced cost. Looking for a CSA locally? Check out this CSA database to see if a farm near you is listed.
CSA's just might be the answer to the tired argument that we supposedly need these behemoth farms to "feed the world", as we so often hear. Why not have the world feed itself? As John Heywood once wrote: Many hands make light work. If you think about it, many hands also build a community.
There is a dire need to connect people with their food, and CSA's offer the opportunity to look the person who grows your your food in the eye and not only say "Thank You", but also "What can I do?"
Photo Flickr user: aMichiganmom
