A guest post by Michele Van Houten
Chances are you’ve never heard anyone say that farming is easy. And that’s for good reason – because there isn’t much that’s easy about it. Yet, our West Michigan community has the good fortune to be home to a growing mix of like-minded individuals who are deliberately choosing to do just that. Their approach to farming is commonly referred to as“community supported agriculture” (CSA). Their decisions to farm come from a desire to be active participants in the hands-on solution of bringing safe and healthy, sustainably grown local food to our community. At the same time, these farmers feel a deep sense of responsibility to both the farmland and the community that sustain them. This is what drives them; what motivates them.
So what is a CSA farm and how is its role in our local food movement contributing to the well-being of our community? LocalHarvest, an online directory that provides organic and local food information, provides this overview: “A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return, receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.”The Robyn Van En Center for CSA Resources goes further: “This commitment implies a willingness to share with the farmer both the bounty from the land and at least some of the risks involved with production. In this way, farmers and members become partners in the production, distribution and consumption of locally grown food.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture adds, “CSAs take many forms, but all have at their center a shared commitment to building a more local and equitable agricultural system, one that allows growers to focus on land stewardship and still maintain productive and profitable farms.”
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