Supporting Agriculture in Your Community

(Photo by hellsgeriatric)

If you read Writing: My Life, my personal blog, then you know I’m a member of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at a local farm. After my first full year as a CSA member I have one thing to say: find a CSA in your area and join! Why, you ask? Well, for one thing, as a member of a farm, you’re supporting your local economy instead of purchasing food grown in Argentina, Mexico or somewhere other than your own figurative back yard. Joining a CSA will also reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the number of miles your produce has to travel to get to your front door. The farm I joined is organic, but some CSAs aren’t. Still, most practice sustainable farming and use little or no chemical pesticides. As a member of a CSA you’ll be supporting the responsible use of farmland and environmental resources.

Those are the feel-good reason for joining a CSA. Here are what I call the selfish reasons:

• For a minimal cost, you’ll receive a variety of fresh, ripe, organic (or sustainably grown) produce.
• Whatever you don’t eat in a week you can put up for the winter.
• You get the benefits of a backyard garden without having to get your hands dirty.
• You’ll probably get a say in what gets planted for the following season.
• Your grocery bills will shrink.
• Your meals will revolve around fresh fruits and vegetables. And they’ll taste better for it.

If you’re interested in joining a CSA, don’t wait until the spring to start looking for one. Waiting lists are often very long, and shares sell out fast. Visit Local Harvest to find a CSA program in your area and call or send an email to get your name on the list for next year’s season. If the cost seems like too much to put out at once, inquire about a payment plan. Some farms even offer the option to reduce the share cost by volunteering work hours in the fields. I promise, however you pay for your share, it will be worth the expense when you’re bringing home bags of fresh produce next summer.

Ami writes about her attempts to stay healthy, live a local and green life and write that Great American Novel (or something like it) at Writing: My Life.