Philosophy

Community supported/shared agriculture (CSA) is a growing social movement that endeavors to make direct connections between the producers of food and those who consume it. Its most salient goals address concerns about the quality of the food supply and the survival of small farms, concerns that are addressed through building communities of farmers and consumer shareholders.

Linking consumers directly with producers is the foundation of the concept, but the underlying agenda speaks to the disparate nature of farming in the 21st century. Many believe true farming, dominated by a handful of large agribusinesses, will not be able to survive in an economy dominated by the market, in which prices radically fluctuate, the cost of land escalates, and resources—natural and human—are exploited. Commodification, in short, destroys agriculture as a cultural activity of tending and cultivating the land.

Commodification provides the consumer with nutritionally depleted food that is perceived to be inexpensive, yet long-term costs of environmental degradation and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels are merely deferred to future generations. Short-term costs are hidden from view in the poverty of migrant and third world agricultural workers.

History

Development of the CSA concept is attributed to European and Japanese programs operating in the late 1800's. Japanese food contamination between 1932 and 1968 prompted a surge in demand for farm fresh organic food — food grown locally through Community Supported programs. Today, 22% of all Japanese households participate in a Community Shared Agriculture program.

In Europe, the influence of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) and the introduction of Bio-dynamic farming served to define the core principals of Community Supported Agriculture. Steiner's “Associative Economics” describes the mission of CSA farms – economic arrangement that fosters interaction among producers, traders, and consumers and where appropriate price, true human needs, the eradication of poverty, greater social equity, and environmental impacts are explicitly addressed in the process.

Jan Vander Tuin brings the concept of CSA to North America from Europe, introducing the idea to Robyn Van En at Indian Line Farm in South Egremont, Massachusetts and Susan Witt, director of the E.F.Schumacher Society (1984).

CSA in Canada began in Manitoba with farmers gathering together to address similar questions about agriculture and the need for "culture" to be an integral part of agriculture. The idea of shared farming was developed having the community get involved with farms and share in the risks together. Community Shared Agriculture began in 1992 with Wiens Shared Farm serving Winnipeg, Manitoba. CSA farms are now found throughout Canada and the United States.

The Future

Efficiencies of modern technology affords each of us the opportunity to participate in a global dialogue—a celebration and co-operative exchange of creativity and ideas. Dramatic expansion of social connections and assimilation of a global perspective results in a sense of detachment and loss of certainty that makes it difficult for individuals to construct a secure and fulfilling narrative of “self”. Bringing balance to our loss of equilibrium, CSA programs have the potential to “re–root ” people in time and place by linking them to a piece of land and an awareness of the seasons and natural cycles of life. Offering a sense of cohesion with others who uphold similar ideologies, CSA programs connect people to the land, the grower, the community and a common–good.