Community Supported Agriculture

In Oregon and Wisconsin, we bought most of our vegetables and fruits from local farms, with a program called community supported agriculture (CSA).

Here’s what CSA is all about:

You sign an agreement with a local farmer to purchase a set share of the farmer’s crops. The farmer provides a list of the crops that he or she plans to harvest and the approximate amount you can expect to get each week during the growing season.

Every week, you pick up your produce at a designated time and location. Sometimes farmers invite their members to visit the farm for special events or just to see what’s going on.

With pre-paid annual subscriptions, the farmer is assured of financial support and customers. In case of agricultural disasters (flooding, drought, disease and insects, for example), the farmer’s risk is shared with the members.

The idea is to supply fresh local (and often organic) produce at reasonable prices. No middle-men, no store overhead, no long-distance shipping. Just fresh-picked vegetables and fruit delivered directly from the farmer to the consumer.

I’ve always valued the supportive relationship between the producer and the consumer – a partnership between the farmer and the community that benefits both.

We really enjoyed belonging to CSA farms. There was only one problem. Farm events were always held on Shabbat. My kids could never pick pumpkins, go on hayrides or see where their vegetables were grown.

An organization called Hazon is changing that. They started the first Jewish network of CSA farms in the U.S., called “Tuv Ha’Aretz”


http://www.hazon.org/go.php?q=/food/CSA/aboutTuvHa


CSA is alive and well in Israel as well. “Or-Gani” http://www.or-gani.org.il/ (English website) is an organic farm serving northern and central Israeli communities.

If you’re looking for a way to eat fresh, seasonal produce and support local agriculture at the same time, CSA may just be for you. Check it out this summer!