Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

A CSA Option for the Poor
http://www.localharvest.org/newsletter/20080130/csa-for-the-poor.html#contin
ue

For years, people have been trying to figure out how Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA) projects could be made accessible to low income people.
Economically, the CSA model is built on farmers' need for capital at the
beginning of the growing season. Most CSAs ask their members to pay a lump
sum for the entire season, a requirement that bars low-income people from
participating.

Many farmers and food activists have been bothered by this, and some have
worked together on solutions. Just Food is one well-known organization that
develops CSAs for people in New York's underserved neighborhoods. One way
they do this is by fundraising among wealthier CSA members to offset the
cost of the low-income shares. This solution creates an economically
diverse CSA and ensures that the farmers receive a fair price for their
products.

But is it possible for a farm to open the doors of its CSA to poor people
without working through a non-profit? We recently spoke with one farmer who
has found a way to do just that, Crystine Goldberg of Uprising Farm.

Goldberg and her partner Brian Campbell founded Uprising with two
intentions: saving heirloom and open pollinated seeds, and getting good
food to people regardless of income. After three seasons as market farmers,
Goldberg and Campbell started a small CSA last year. It exclusively serves
low income people, and the members pay with electronic food stamp benefits,
known as EBT.

The USDA, which administers the federal food stamp program, does not allow
EBT to be used for traditional CSAs. In order to make their idea work,
Uprising had to re-shape its program in two important ways. First, they
allowed people to pay for their CSA baskets every week or two, because a
pre-payment arrangement would violate USDA rules. Second, in their USDA
application to be licensed to accept EBT, they had to describe their
project as a "farm stand" rather than as a CSA. Given the model they are
using - members pay for the food when it is picked up - a farm stand is in
fact the more accurate financial description.

Other potential snags with USDA rules (entering into contracts for food
purchases, or using EBT to repay loans) were addressed in their USDA
application so that they and the federal agency were clear that the "CSA"
was a legitimate use of EBT.

Once their application was accepted, which Goldberg says was a fairly
simple process, the farm was given a machine to swipe the CSA members' EBT
cards and make the sales each week. The government then deposited the food
stamp funds directly into the farm's bank account, thus making the money
handling efficient and eliminating dreaded paperwork.

Finding CSA members was also painless. The farmers hung posters and
brochures around town and told friends who helped spread the word. Goldberg
says that acquiring shareholders was easy because so many people are
interested in CSA. Most of the members are signing up again for this year's
program, and the farm is already getting calls and email from other people
who would like to join.

Throughout several interviews, Goldberg had one message for farmers who
might consider starting a similar CSA-type program. The message is, "It's
really very simple!" The only unexpected issue the couple encountered last
year was the lag time between filing their application with the USDA,
getting it approved, and getting set up with their EBT machine. Goldberg
encourages other farmers to start the process at least two months before
the beginning of the CSA. She and Campbell had an utterly positive
experience with their all-EBT modified CSA. "It's so necessary and so
appreciated" by the shareholders, Goldberg said. "The hardest part was
figuring out who to call to get the application." We'll save you that step
- here it is. Goldberg says she would be happy to talk with farmers who are
considering starting this type of project, with their entire CSA, or a
dedicated portion of it.