Market Farming

[Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>]

Pat - Please do us all a favor and push for "Local and Organic." 
Without local people insisting on organic produce, it's very hard for 
a local person to make the transition. "Local is Enough" movement 
really cuts the legs out from under the spread of organic agriculture 
to ALL communities. REMEMBER: most of the governments of the world 
offer some sort of financial incentives for farmers to transition to 
environmental and resource-friendly organic management.

My apololgies to Mark for my too loud reply earlier. I don't agree 
with it, of course, but here's the 'definition' of CSA from the Robyn 
Van En CSA Center page:

CSA is a relationship of mutual support and commitment between local 
farmers and community members who pay the farmer an annual membership 
fee to cover the production costs of the farm. In turn, members 
receive a weekly share of the harvest during the local growing 
season. The arrangement guarantees the farmer financial support and 
enables many small- to moderate-scale organic family farms to remain 
in business. Ultimately, CSA creates "agriculture-supported 
communities" where members receive a wide variety of foods harvested 
at their peak of ripeness, flavor and vitamin and mineral content. 

 As Wendell Berry identifies, "how we eat determines to a 
considerable extent how the world is used." With this in mind, it is 
important to remember that the goals of CSA support a sustainable 
agriculture system which . . .

  provides farmers with direct outlets for farm products and ensures 
fair compensation

  encourages proper land stewardship by supporting farmers in 
transition toward low or no chemical inputs

  strengthens local economies by keeping food dollars in local communities

  directly links producers with consumers allowing people to have a 
personal connection with their food and the land on which it was 
produced

  makes nutritious, affordable, wholesome foods accessible and widely 
available to community members. 

 There are many kinds of CSA. All include payment in advance at an 
agreed upon price. In some, members of the community purchase a 
"share" of the anticipated harvest, while in others they sign up for 
a predetermined amount of produce over the course of the season. In 
most cases, this commitment implies a willingness to share with the 
farmer both the bounty from the land and at least some of the risks 
involved with production. 

 In return for fair and guaranteed compensation, consumers receive a 
variety of freshly picked, (usually organic) vegetables grown and 
distributed in an economically viable and ecologically responsible 
manner. Some farms also offer fruit, herbs, flowers and other 
products. In this way, farmers and members become partners in the 
production, distribution and consumption of locally grown food. 

 One fact also to consider, organic food produced with local 
communities is not the same as organic food transported over long 
distances. When members obtain food from local farmers, environmental 
costs associated with the transport, processing and distribution of 
organic food and the consumption of fossil fuels are significantly 
reduced. Considering that the organic food available to members was 
produced locally rather than transported over long distances, the 
cost to the environment is significantly less.

-Allan