CSA Farming

Here is a new (safe) topic for us -- CSA Farms. http://www.localharvest.org/csa.jsp
"CSA reflects an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers; develop a regional food supply and strong local economy; maintain a sense of community; encourage land stewardship; and honor the knowledge and experience of growers and producers working with small to medium farms. CSA is a unique model of local agriculture whose roots reach back 30 years to Japan where a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and local farms. This arrangement, called "teikei" in Japanese, translates to "putting the farmers' face on food." This concept traveled to Europe and was adapted to the U.S. and given the name "Community Supported Agriculture" at Indian Line Farm, Massachusetts, in 1985. As of January 2005, there are over 1500 CSA farms across the US and Canada." Borrowed from the Community Supported Agriculture of North America at University of Massachusetts Extension.


I ran into this concept when researching to do, of all unrelated things, a MS Office project for a book of resources for teachers at the college level. The subject was "agriculture" and I started googling and became fascinated with the idea of buying direct from the farmer as a support system for small and local agriculture. (If I was doing the same thing today - I might work with the corn to ethanol process to show how much it really costs. You have to get information out to people where ever you can without intimidating or shaming them, that is my theory.)

Yale has one dining room that prepares food ONLY from local suppliers and rumor has it that it is the most popular dining hall on campus. We can debate forever whether "others" will ever care or make changes to support a sustainable future. We can also work to educate everyone we "touch", slowly and gently and have hope in the creativity of mankind and the future. That is my choice.