Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability, Unit 3-Community

119 Pages·2015·6.65 MB·English

UC Santa Cruz
Training Organic Farmers and Gardeners
Title
Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability, 2nd Edition. Unit 3 - Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49m8k4qv
ISBN
978-0-9828781-1-8
Publication Date
2015-04-03

Peer reviewed
eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library
University of California
UNIT 3
Community
Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
Introduction to Unit 3:
Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture 45
Unit 3.1:
CSA History 57
Unit 3.2:
CSA Structure & Organization 69
Unit 3.3:
CSA Outreach 77
Unit 3.4:
CSA Administration 109
Unit 3.5:
CSA Crop Planning 117
Unit 3.6:
CSA Harvest & Post-Harvest Handling 143
44 | Unit 3
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
3.0
Introduction
to Community
Supported Agriculture
Introduction 47
Resources and References 49
Research Bibliography 54
Unit 3.0 | 45
Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture
46 | Unit 3.0
Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture
Introduction to Community Supported
Agriculture
UNIT OVERVIEW Since Robyn Van En and other farmers kick-started the CSA
movement in the mid 1980s, much has changed in the way that
Community Supported Agriculture
both farmers and the public perceive Community Supported
(CSA) is an agricultural and
Agriculture. While some farmers continue to subscribe to the
community development movement original tenets of CSA (later described), many farmers, com-
munities, and companies now use the term CSA to encompass a
that was developed to serve a dual
wide variety of market and community relationships.
purpose: as a stable marketing
Throughout the changes in the conception and practice of
opportunity for growers, and as a
Community Supported Agriculture, the UCSC Farm & Garden
way to reconnect consumers with of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems
the sources of their food and foster (CASFS) has remained committed to many of those founding
tenets of CSA. In particular the Farm and Garden supports
closer personal relationships between
both in practice (on our farm) and in teaching (both to our
farmers and their communities. apprentices and in this manual) the concepts of locally grown
organic food, affordability, and seasonal commitment. In doing
Robyn Van En, one of the early so, the Farm and Garden attempts to bridge the growing gap
between these founding ideals while adapting to the faster-
pioneers of CSA in America,
paced, more customer-oriented version of CSA projects that
expressed the concept dually. She exist today.
wrote that Community Supported
This unit on direct marketing through Community Supported
Agriculture should be coupled with Agriculture introduces students to the history of CSA and to-
day’s various CSA structures. In addition, this unit will focus in
ASC—Agriculturally Supported
depth on the two primary forms of CSA (the Membership/Share
Communities. This mutually
Model CSAs and the Subscription Model), illustrating how
supportive relationship between CSA structure, outreach, and administration differ for each
model. The unit also covers the agronomic considerations for
producer and consumer was what
running a CSA, including crop planning, soil fertility, harvest,
CSA was founded upon. In 1985,
and post-harvest handling.
Van En wrote that CSA embodied
the principle of “local food for local
people at a fair price to them and
a fair wage to the growers. The
members’ annual commitment to pay
their share of the production costs
and to share the risk as well as the
bounty set this apart from any other
agricultural initiative” (Henderson
and Van En, 2007).
Unit 3.0 | 47
Introduction Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture
Along with lecture outlines, each unit contains MODES OF INSTRUCTION
appendices that include student exercises and/or
> LECTURES (1-2 HOURS EACH)
information that the instructor can use as visual
examples and student handouts. > STUDENT EXERCISE (UNIT 4.5)
Unit 3.1 – History of CSA explores the history and
development of the community supported LEARNING OBJECTIVES
agriculture movement, introducing students CONCEPTS
to the principal figures and the economic and
• Historical development of community supported
social values that have directed the growth of
agriculture in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.
this model of sustainable agriculture in Europe,
Japan, and North America. • Various CSA structures and organizational
models
Unit 3.2 – CSA Structure and Organization examines
the various forms that a CSA operation can • Opportunities and challenges presented by the
take, from those run by a farmer to those run CSA model
by the community. It discusses variations on the
• Techniques for recruiting CSA members and
CSA model, examines some of the challenges
administering a CSA
of running a CSA project, and lists training
opportunities for learning CSA farming skills. • CSA crop planning considerations
Unit 3.3 – CSA Outreach looks at strategies for • Harvesting and post-harvest handling
recruiting CSA members, developing low- considerations for a CSA operation
income memberships, developing a core group,
SKILLS
and producing outreach materials such as
brochures, pledge forms, and printed and online • Understanding of various CSA management
newsletters. techniques
Unit 3.4 – CSA Administration introduces the nuts • Ability to develop a basic crop plan for a mixed
and bolts of organizing the administrative vegetable CSA operation
details of a CSA operation, including
advertising, correspondence with CSA members,
billing, and creating databases.
Unit 3.5 – CSA Crop Planning covers the basic
considerations involved in developing the type
of diverse mixed fruit and vegetable operation
required for CSA production. This unit also
includes a crop planning exercise and a number
of appendices that can be used to develop a crop
plan and track CSA field production.
Unit 3.6 – CSA Harvest & Post-Harvest Handling
outlines the techniques involved in successful
harvesting and post-harvest handling of crops
for CSA operations, including information on
packing CSA shares, harvest record keeping,
and harvest crew management.
48 | Unit 3.0
Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture Introduction
Resources & References
PRINT
offers multiple case studies of successful
Adam, Katherine. 2006. Community Supported Ag-
CSA operations. Contains useful overviews
riculture. Fayetteville, Arkansas: ATTRA-National
of alternative land tenure options for CSA
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. attra.
producers. Sample budgets for a CSA operation
ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=262
are included, along with suggestions for the
This publication reports on the history of formation and management of farmers’ markets.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the
U.S. and discusses the various models that have Henderson, Elizabeth, and Robyn Van En. 2007.
emerged. Recent trends in the CSA movement Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Commu-
are presented and demographic information nity Supported Agriculture —Revised and Expanded
provided about the distribution of CSA farms Edition. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green
in the U.S. Several CSA cases are profiled Publishing Co.
and a survey of recent research is presented. A revised and expanded version of this excellent
References and resources follow the narrative. introduction to the CSA model. Covers all
aspects of CSA from organization to production
Butler Flora, Cornelia, and Corry Bregendahl. 2007.
and distribution considerations, including how
The role of collaborative community supported
“community support” may be applied to other
agriculture: Lessons from Iowa. Leopold Center
industries.
Progress Report 16:44-7.
The aim of this research project was to Henderson, Elizabeth. 2010. The World of Com-
understand the role collaborative Community munity Supported Agriculture. Keynote address
Supported Agriculture (cCSA) plays in at Urgenci Conference on Community Supported
community and economic development in Iowa. Foods and Farming, 22 February, at Kobe, Japan.
www.chelseagreen.com/content/elizabeth-henderson-
de Selencourt, Kate. 1997. Local Harvest: Delicious the-world-of-community-supported-agriculture/
Ways to Save the Planet. Lawrence and Wishart.
A brief history of CSAs and an around-the-
Outlines the array of benefits—for people world tour of the present trends in the CSA
and the environment—that responsible food movement.
production and marketing can bring. It also
shows that good food costs less when it’s local. Jackson, Greg, Amanda Raster, and Will Shattuck.
2011. An analysis of the impacts of health insurance
Douthwaite, R. J., and Richard Douthwaite. 1998. rebate initiatives on Community Supported Agricul-
Short Circuit: Strengthening Local Economics for ture in southern Wisconsin. Journal of Agriculture,
Security in an Unstable World. New York: Green Food Systems, and Community Development, 2 (1):
Books. 287 – 296.
Chronicles the many efforts by regular people
Lass, Daniel, Ashley Bevis, G. W. Stevenson, John
to recapture their economies and their resources
Hendrickson, and Kathy Ruhf. No Date. Communi-
from sprawling, globalized systems. Chapter 6—
ty Supported Agriculture Entering the 21st Century:
Living from the Land—has a section about CSA
Results from the 2001 National Survey. Amherst:
as well as Buschberghof. Available online in its
University of Massachusetts, Department of Re-
entirety at www.feasta.org/documents/shortcircuit/
source Economics. www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/
index.htm.
uploads/2008/07/csa_survey_01.pdf
Groh, Trauger, and S. McFadden. 2000. Farms Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture
of Tomorrow Revisited: Community Supported Coalition. 1996. From Asparagus to Zucchini: A
Farms—Farm Supported Communities. The Biody- Guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce.
namic Farming and Gardening Association.
The main section of the book features 51
Provides an introductory overview of the different vegetable and herb sections. Each
need for alternative farming systems and section includes nutritional, historical, and
Unit 3.0 | 49
Resources & References Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture
storage information as well as cooking tips and Perry, Jill, and Scott Franzblau. 2010 (revised). Lo-
specific recipes—over 385 recipes in all. Includes cal Harvest: A Multi-Farm CSA Handbook. Sustain-
essays that address how food choices fit into able Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).
our economy, environment, and communities. www.sare.org/publications/csa/csa.pdf
Includes information on home food preservation Offers straightforward guidance on an
and an extensive resource section and recipe innovative practice that is helping CSAs
index. stay strong and viable over the long term:
cooperative marketing. The 130-page book
McFadden, Steven. 2011. The Call of the Land: An
details how farmers in CSA cooperatives can
Agrarian Primer for the 21st Century, Second Edi-
best work together to market their produce,
tion. Bedford, IN: NorLights Press.
including advice on staffing, volunteer boards,
More theoretical. A good teaching tool for distribution, legal topics and other practical
families and communities to learn about the information.
alternative food system. Includes ways for
families, neighborhoods, communities, schools, Peterson, Farmer John, and Angelic Organics. 2006.
and churches to contribute to the good food Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Veg-
movement by supporting alternative agriculture. etables. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith.
Lyrical yet practical, this cookbook chronicles
McFadden, Steven. 2004. The History of Com-
the lives of vegetables as they make their voyage
munity Supported Agriculture, Part I and II: CSA‘s
from field to feast, celebrates the seasonal cycles
World of Possibilities. Rodale Institute. www.new-
of fresh produce, and will inspire delicious,
farm.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml
healthful food for your table.
Norberg-Hodge, Helena, Todd Merrifield, and
Steven Gorelick. 2000. Bringing the Food Economy Soil Association. 2001. A Share in the Harvest—An
Home: The Social, Ecological and Economic Ben- Action Manual for Community Supported Agricul-
efits of Local Food. London: International Society ture. (Ringbound manual)
for Ecology and Culture (ISEC). A practical guide to support those—including
An ISEC report showing that the globalization farmers/growers, consumers, and activists—
of food is not only undermining farmers and who wish to develop community supported
damaging the environment, but also posing a agriculture (CSA) initiatives. The manual uses
real threat to human health, food security, local experiences from CSA farms in the United
economies, and, ultimately, consumers. Kingdom and overseas and includes information
on CSA models, membership, finance and legal
Norberg-Hodge, Helena, Peter Goering, and John issues, land and share issues, grant advice, and
Page. 2000. From the Ground Up: Rethinking In- useful publications.
dustrial Agriculture. London: International Society
for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) and Zed Books. Soil Association. 2001. A Share in the Harvest—A
Feasibility Study for Community Supported Agricul-
An analysis of the roots of the environmental,
ture.
social, and economic crises facing modern
industrial agriculture, and a review of more This feasibility study looks at how community
sustainable options. supported agriculture (CSA) can help in
the development of local and sustainable
Norberg-Hodge, Helena, Todd Merrified and Steven food economies. It investigates community
Gorelick. 2002. Bringing the Food Economy Home: involvement in farming around the globe and
Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness. London: in a number of established and planned CSA
Zed Books. initiatives in England. Eleven case studies
Based on the ISEC report (above), this book provide the basis of discussion, along with
includes some new and updated information, a relevant policy recommendations and areas for
resource guide, and an index. future research.
50 | Unit 3.0
Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture Resources & References
Tuin, Jan Vander. 1992. Zürich Supported Agricul- Association maintains a national CSA online
ture. RAIN magazine 14(2), Winter/Spring. database.
This article describes the philosophy and
The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food
inspiration for CSA in Switzerland which Jan
Systems (CASFS)
Vander Tuin brought to the the US to help
inform the beginnings of CSA on the east coast. casfs.ucsc.edu
A research, education, and public service
program at the University of California,
WEB-BASED RESOURCES
Santa Cruz, dedicated to increasing ecological
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center sustainability and social justice in the food
and agriculture system. On the UCSC campus,
www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa
the Center operates the 3-acre Alan Chadwick
An excellent and comprehensive resource for
Garden and the 33-acre UCSC Farm. Both sites
accessing information on all topics in print
are managed using organic production methods
and video media relating to CSA. AFSIC is a
and serve as research, teaching, and training
cooperative effort between the Cooperative
facilities for students, staff, and faculty. The
State Research Education and Extension Service
CASFS operates a 130-member CSA program
(CSREES) and the National Agricultural
and conducts research and publishes articles on
Library (NAL) of the U.S. Department of
the efficacy of alternative food initiatives such as
Agriculture (USDA). “CSA Resources for
CSA.
Farmers or Producers” provides extensive
CSA-related information, online articles, and Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
print resources. “Organizations and Related
www.cias.wisc.edu
Web Sites” will take you to the support
groups in your area that can provide further, Brings together university faculty, farmers,
regionally specific information and crucial policy makers, and others to study relationships
one-on-one support for CSA endeavors. These between farming practices, farm profitability,
centers provide information about books and the environment, and rural vitality. Includes
periodicals, and provide access to farm budgets, links to sustainable grazing dairy systems,
crop tracking sheets, and management software. pastured poultry, and the School for Beginning
Dairy Farmers; research summaries on CSA;
Angelic Organics information on the School for Beginning Market
Gardeners and on developing farm-to-college
www.csalearningcenter.org
projects.
A comprehensive information clearinghouse on
all aspects of CSA. The CSA Learning Center Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
is a nonprofit resource center (501(c)3) that
www.caff.org
provides opportunities for diverse community
members, prospective farmers, and CSA A searchable web resource containing
shareholders from the greater Chicago area. information on CSA and other related regional
Includes youth education programs; models for food system initiatives. Contains notices of
developing low-income CSA shares; technical current agriculture public policies, listing of
assistance and training programs for regional current CAFF publications as well as a calendar
producers, among others. of sustainable agriculture events. Contains
links to multiple CAFF-sponsored agriculture
The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening and wildland interface projects. In 2013 CAFF
Association: co-hosted the URGENCI worldwide CSA
conference.
www.biodynamics.com
The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Educational and Training Opportunities in
Association is a nonprofit, membership Sustainable Agriculture
organization and is open to the public. The
www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/edtr.htm
association has an educational focus and
conducts conferences, workshops and seminars. A comprehensive listing of post-secondary
The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening education and training opportunities in
Unit 3.0 | 51
Resources & References Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture