People
Community

Environment
Ecology

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a critical link in returning rural communities to sustainability

CSA is partnership between farmers and consumers where the responsibilities and rewards of farming are shared. Stroud Community Agriculture is one example.

CSA farms are directly accountable to their consumer members and they strive to provide fresh, high-quality organic food. Generally there are more people working on CSA farms than on conventional farms, and some CSA's encourage members to work on the farm in exchange for a portion of their membership costs.

CSA is a shared commitment to building a more local and equitable agricultural system, one that allows farmers to focus on good farming practices and still maintain productive and profitable farms. This model of more direct reciprocity also helps to foster a greater sense of community. CSA links the local community and the agriculture and related industries which support it and represents a powerful way in which to drive rural regeneration.

Wikipedia on CSA:

CSA is a relatively new socio-economic model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals – while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers and gardeners to have a successful, small-scale closed market. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables, sometimes also flowers, fruits, herbs and even milk or meat products in some cases. A variety of similar production and economic sub-systems are in use worldwide:

• Association pour le maintien de l’agriculture paysanne (AMAP) in France
• Agriculture soutenue par la communauté (ASC) in Québec
• Teikeis in Japan
• Reciproco in Portugal