We’re still working on this aspect of the program, but the idea is along the lines of carbon offsets used in the cap and trade system. The goal is to allow those who may be unable to directly participate in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program to subsidize the expansion of the program - thus making it more likely citizens may find a subscription farmer in their area.
Obviously, this will take some serious calculations to ensure it is both, sustainable and beneficial to the program’s overall objective. However, it is believed that as citizens, farmers and resources are organized into a national network, the practical obstacles to participation will subside. To enlist the expertise that will be required, and to demonstrate the program’s objectives of inclusion and transparency, we will be calling upon a wide range of organizations for assistance.
As always, we welcome your feedback.
| About Community-Supported Agriculture | |
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Community-Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or “share-holders” of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. |
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| Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. | |
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CSAs offer a diversity of vegetables, fruits, and herbs in season; some provide a full array of farm produce, including shares in eggs, meat, milk, baked goods, and even firewood. Each CSA is structured to meet the needs of the participants, so many variations exist depending on many factors related to the CSAs goals. Some farms offer a single commodity, or team up with others so that members receive goods on a more nearly year-round basis. Some are dedicated to serving particular community needs, such as helping to enfranchise homeless pers |
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Important considerations include the level of financial commitment and active participation by the shareholders; financing, land ownership, and the legal form of farm operation, and; details of payment plans and food distribution systems. CSA is sometimes called subscription farming. The two terms have been used on occasion to convey the same basic principles, however, use of the latter term is intended to convey philosophic and practical differences in a given farm operation. Subscription farming (or marketing) arrangements tend to emphasize the economic benefits, for the farmer as well as consumer, of a guaranteed, direct market for farm products, rather than the concept of community-building that is the basis of a true CSA. Growers typically contract directly with customers, who may be called “members,” and who have agreed in advance to buy a minimum amount of produce at a fixed price, but who have little or no investment in the farm itself. An example of one kind of subscription farm, which predates the first CSAs in this country, is the clientele membership club. According to this plan, which was promoted by Booker Whatley in the early 1980’s, a grower could maintain small farm profits by selling low cost memberships to customers who then were allowed to harvest crops at below-market prices. |
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The following are believed to be the most important environmental issues facing our country (and the world):
Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants that are dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (also see acid rain).
Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth’s fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation.
[Note - a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.]
Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog.
Afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that have been cut or destroyed by fire.
Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate form.
Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem’s ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption.
Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.
Biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given area or volume.
Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits.
Catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972.
Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health.
Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth.
Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change.
Dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.
Drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in an over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial marine species (by-catch) by its effect of “sweeping the ocean clean.”
Ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of organisms and their specific environments.
Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting it.
Endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction either by direct hunting or habitat destruction.
Freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
Greenhouse gas - a gas that “traps” infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho’s abundant water supply into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources.
Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 145,000 Inuits of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental issues; a General Assembly convenes every three years to determine the focus of the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change.
Metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science, technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly disposed.
Noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.
Overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than it can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land.
Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth’s surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms.
Poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with respect to endangered or threatened species.
Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste.
Potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.
Salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.
Siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.
Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment .
Soil degradation - damage to the land’s productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products.
Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living organisms and has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in humans.
Water-born diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an untreated water supply.
[Note: “FL” after a title indicates organization maintains or links to online farm listings.]
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center [FL]
National Agricultural Library, ARS, USDA
10301 Baltimore Avenue, Room 132
Beltsville MD 20705-2351
phone 301-504-6559, fax 301-504-6927
e-mail
http://afsic.nal.usda.gov
American Farmland Trust
1200 18th Street NW, #800
Washington DC 20036
phone 202-331-7300, fax:202-659-8339
e-mail info@farmland.org
http://www.farmland.org/
Farmland Information Library:
http://www.farmlandinfo.org
ATTRA- The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service [FL]
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville AR 72702
phone 1-800-346-9140 (toll free, M-F 8:00am-5:00pm CST)
http://attra.ncat.org/
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc. [FL]
25844 Butler Road
Junction City OR 97448
phone 888-516-7797 or 541-998-0105, fax 541-998-0106
e-mail biodynamic@aol.com
http://www.biodynamics.com
Canadian Organic Growers [FL]
National Office
323 Chapel Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7Z2 Canada
phone 1-888-375-7383 (toll free) or 613-216-0741, fax 613-236-0743
e-mail info@cog.ca
http://www.cog.ca/
Ecological Agriculture Projects
McGill University (Macdonald Campus)
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9 Canada
phone 514-398-7771, fax 514-398-7621
e-mail ecological.agriculture@mcgill.ca
http://eap.mcgill.ca/
The Organic Consumers Association [FL]
6771 South Silver Hill Drive
Finland MN 55603
phone 218-226-4164, fax 218-353-7652
http://organicconsumers.org
Organic Trade Association [FL]
P.O. Box 547
Greenfield MA 01302
phone 413-774-7511, fax 413-774-6432
e-mail info@ota.com
http://www.ota.com/l
Robyn Van En Center for CSA Resources [FL]
Wilson College
Fulton Center for Sustainable Living
1015 Philadelphia Avenue
Chambersburg PA 17201
phone 717-264-4141 x3352, fax 717-264-1578
e-mail info@csacenter.org
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=804
State and Regional Organizations
California Certified Organic Farmers [FL]
1115 Mission Street
Santa Cruz CA 95060
phone 1-888-423-CCOF (toll free in CA) or 831-423-2263, fax 831-423-4528
e-mail ccof@ccof.org
http://www.ccof.org/
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association [FL]
P.O. Box 448
Pittsboro NC 27312
phone 919-542-2402, fax 919-542-7401
e-mail cfsa@carolinafarmstewards.org
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
1535 Observatory Drive
Madison WI 53706
phone 608-262-3704, fax 608-265-3020
e-mail arts@wisc.edu
http://www.cias.wisc.edu/
Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Local Food Network. [FL]
P.O. Box 363
Davis CA 95617
phone 530-756-8518, fax 530-756-7857
e-mail caff@caff.org
http://www.caff.org/programs/local_food.shtml
Community Farm Alliance [FL]
614 Shelby Street
Frankfort KY 40601
phone 502-223-3655
e-mail cfarma@bellsouth.net
http://www.communityfarmalliance.org/
The Community, Food & Agriculture Program (CFAP)
216 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
phone 607-255-9832
e-mail gcg4@cornell.edu.
http://www.cdtoolbox.net/agriculture_economic_development/index.html
Community Food Security Coalition
P.O. Box 209
Venice CA 90294
phone 310-822-5410, fax 310-822-1440
e-mail andy@foodsecurity.org
http://www.foodsecurity.org
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) [FL]
1 Sugarloaf Street
South Deerfield MA 01373
phone 866-965-7100 (toll free) or 413-665-7100, fax 413-665-7101
e-mail cisa@buylocalfood.com
http://www.buylocalfood.com/
CSA Farm Network Publications
Steve Gilman
130 Ruckytucks Road
Stillwater NY 12170
phone 518-583-4613
e-mail sgilman@netheaven.com
CSA Works
115 Bay Road
Hadley MA 01035
phone 413-586-5133
The Farm Connection
P.O. Box 477
Dixon NM 87527
phone 505-579-4386
e-mail lunalsfc@la-tierra.com
Food Circles Networking Project. Connecting Farmers, Consumers, and Communities. [FL]
Department of Rural Sociology
University of Missouri-Columbia
204 Gentry
Columbia MO 65211
phone 573-882-3776, fax 573-882-5127
Future Harvest - Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA) [FL]
P.O. Box 337
Stevensville MD 21666
phone 410-549-7878, fax 410-549-9778
e-mail fhcasa@verizon.net
http://www.futureharvestcasa.org/
Hartford Food System
191 Franklin Avenue
Hartford, CT 06114
phone 860-296-9325
e-mail info@hartfordfood.org
http://www.hartfordfood.org/
Iowa Network for Community Agriculture (INCA) [FL]
88 Lake View Place
Ames IA 50010
e-mail info@growinca.org
http://www.growinca.org/
Just Food
208 East 51st Street, 4th Floor
New York NY 10022
phone 212-645-9880, fax 212-645-9881
e-mail info@justfood.org
http://www.justfood.org
Land Stewardship Project [FL]
Twin Cities Office
2200 Fourth Street
White Bear Lake MN 55110
phone 651-653-0618, fax 651-653-0589
e-mail gboody@landstewardshipproject.org
http://www.landstewardshipproject.org
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
209 Curtiss Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011-1050
phone 515-294-3711, fax 515-294-9696
e-mail leocenter@iastate.edu
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu
Madison Area Community Supported Agricultural Coalition (MACSAC) [FL]
P.O. Box 7814
Madison WI 53707-7814
phone 608-226-0300
e-mail info@macsac.org
http://www.macsac.org
Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association [FL]
Common Ground Country Fair
P.O. Box 170
Unity ME 04988
phone 207-568-4142, fax 207-568-4141
e-mail mofga@mofga.org
http://www.mofga.org
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
W2493 County Road ES
P.O. Box 990
East Troy WI 53120
phone 262-642-3303, fax 262-642-4028
e-mail mfai@michaelfieldsaginst.org
http://michaelfieldsaginst.org/
Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA) [FL]
P.O. Box 36880
Grosse Pointe Farms MI 48236-0880
phone 810-659-8414
e-mail info@moffa.org
http://www.moffa.org
Minnesota Food Association [FL]
14220-B Ostlund Trail North
Marine on St. Croix MN 55047
phone 651-433-3676, fax 651-433-5050
e-mail cmorton@mnfoodassociation.org
http://www.mnfoodassociation.org/
Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA)
University of Minnesota
411 Borlaug Hall
1991 Buford Circle
St. Paul MN 55108-1013
phone 800-909-MISA (6472) or 612-625-8235, fax 612-625-1268
e-mail misamail@tc.umn.edu
http://www.misa.umn.edu/
New England Small Farm Institute
275 Jackson Street
Belchertown MA 01007
phone 413-323-4531, fax 413-323-9594
e-mail info@smallfarm.org
http://www.smallfarm.org/
New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association
320 Aztec St, Suite B
Santa Fe NM 87501
phone 1-888-983-4400 (toll free) or 505-983-4010
e-mail info@farmersmarketsnm.org
http://www.farmersmarketsnm.org
New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission [FL]
4001 Indian School NE, Suite 310
Albuquerque NM 87110
phone 505-841-9067
e-mail Joan.Quinn@state.nm.us
http://nmocc.state.nm.us/
Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA)
NOFA Connecticut
P.O. Box 164
Stevenson CT 06491
phone 203-888-5146, fax 203-888-9280
e-mail ctnofa@ctnofa.org
http://www.ctnofa.org/
NOFA Massachusetts [FL]
411 Sheldon Road
Barre MA 01005
phone 978-355-2853
e-mail nofa@nofamass.org
http://www.nofamass.org/index.php
NOFA New Hampshire [FL]
4 Park Street, Suite 208
Concord, NH 03253
phone 603-224-5022
e-mail nofanh@innevi.com
http://www.nofanh.org/
NOFA New Jersey [FL]
60 So. Main Street
P.O. Box 886
Pennington NJ 08534
phone 609-737-6848, fax 609-737-2366
e-mail nofainfo@nofanj.org
http://www.nofanj.org/
NOFA New York [FL]
P.O. Box 880
Cobleskill NY 12043
phone 607-652-NOFA, fax 607-652-2290
e-mail office@nofany.org
http://nofany.org/index.html
NOFA Rhode Island [FL]
51 Edwards Lane
Charlestown RI 02813
phone 401-364-7557, fax 401-364-1699
e-mail nofari@nofari.org
http://www.nofari.org/
NOFA Vermont [FL]
P.O. Box 697
Richmond VT 05477
phone 802-434-4122, fax 802-434-4154
e-mail info@nofavt.org
http://www.nofavt.org/
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG)
P.O. Box 11
Belchertown MA 01007
phone/fax 413-323-9878
http://www.nesawg.org/index.php
Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society [FL]
P.O. Box 194
100 1 Avenue S.E.
LaMoure ND 58458
phone/fax 701-883-4304
e-mail slnpsas@drtel.net
http://www.npsas.org
Ohio Ecological Food & Farming Association [FL]
P.O. Box 82234
Columbus OH 43202
phone 614-421-2022, fax 614-421-2011
e-mail oeffa@oeffa.com
http://www.oeffa.org/
Oregon Tilth [FL]
470 Lancaster Drive, N.E.
Salem OR 97301
phone 503-378-0690, fax 503-378-0809
e-mail organic@tilth.org
http://www.tilth.org
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) [FL]
P.O. Box 419
Millheim PA 16854
phone 814-349-9856, fax 814-349-9840
e-mail info@pasafarming.org
http://www.pasafarming.org/
Pennsylvania Certified Organic [FL]
406 So. Pennsylvania Ave
Centre Hall, PA 16828
phone 814-364-1344, fax 814-364-4431
e-mail pco@paorganic.org
http://www.paorganic.org
Prairieland CSA [FL]
P.O. Box 1404
Champaign IL 61824-1404
phone 217-355-6279
e-mail pcsa@annabarnesmedia.com or info@prairielandcsa.org
http://www.prairienet.org/pcsa/pcsa.htm
Seattle Tilth Association [FL]
4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Room 1
Seattle WA 98103
phone 206-633-0451
e-mail tilth@seattletilth.org
http://www.seattletilth.org/
Small Farm Center
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis CA 95616-8699
phone 530-752-8136, fax 530-752-7716
e-mail sfc@ucdavis.edu
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
e-mail ssawg@aol.com
http://www.ssawg.org/
Sustainable Earth, Inc.
100 Georgeton Court
West Lafayette IN 47906
phone 765-463-9366
e-mail sustainableearth.steve@verizon.net
http://www.sustainableearth.net/
Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners (TOFGA) [FL]
Steve Bridges, President
Kimas Tejas Nursery
962 Highway 71E
Bastrop TX 78602
phone 512-303-0816
e-mail steve@texasgrown.com
http://www.tofga.org/
Internet Resources
Community Food Systems (Resource page with links to organizations and documents). National Agricultural Library. Food and Nutrition Information Center.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000061.html
Community Food Systems / Economic Options for Family Farmers
Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF).
http://www.caff.org/programs/eco_index.shtml
Community Supported Agriculture (Resource page - research guides, links, databases).
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml
Community Supported Agriculture (Resource page - international). World Hunger Year.
http://www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_041.asp?section=2&click=1
Community-Supported Agriculture Discussion Group (Message archives). E-mail List CSA-L@prairienet.org
http://www.prairienet.org/pcsa/CSA-L/
Community-supported Farms (Resource page - reading lists, links). Journey to Forever
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_csa.html
Foodroutes.org (Resource page includes farm listings). FoodRoutes Network.
http://www.foodroutes.org
Local Harvest (Resource page includes farm listings). Ocean Group
http://www.localharvest.org
Missouri Alternatives Center Extension Information on Alternatives
(Resource page includes database of full-text Extension guides from many states and organizations). University of Missouri Extension.
http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/links/ [select “C” and then “Community Supported Agriculture”]
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program,
National Database of Projects
(Searchable database of project reports including several about CSA). USDA, SARE.
http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp
Urban Agriculture Notes/City Farmer
(Resource page covering many urban ag topics.) Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
http://www.cityfarmer.org/
Please standby…
The District of Columbia