Direct-market agriculture (think farmers markets, community-supported agriculture, sometimes co-ops) has kind of exploded in these past five years. Perhaps Food, Inc. and Michael Pollan were super influential, or maybe the romantic DIY-Pinterest-blogospheric-masonjar farm-to-table (unrealistic) lifestyles has us all drooling, wrapped in twine around their fingers. Too much?
For those who don't know much about local food systems, I'll provide a miniature lesson on community-supported agriculture, although I would suggest further research, I mean like a Google search, as the idea has so many variations, interpretations, and traditions.
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) has been a growing (heh) practice since its first U.S. introduction in the 1980s and has especially expanded in the past 10 years, increasing almost tenfold since 2002, a growth that reflects a rising consumer awareness that pines for localism, healthy whole foods, and even food and social justice.
While many variations exist on the CSA structure, it always involves a farm, shareholders, and a season-long agreement between the two, either through subscription payments, labor on the farm, or a combination of both to some extent. Shareholders or workers then receive produce and goods from that farm throughout the season, most often on a weekly basis. It's kind of like a magazine subscription... but better. Can you eat magazines?
CSA is centered on the idea of "sharing the risk" with farmers, with paying members providing stability for farmers, who can now farm without concern for weak profits due to poor weather, disaster, or unreliable markets. Most also see CSA as a community enhancer, with shareholders benefiting from the bountiful local harvest and farmers often receiving better prices for their goods. CSA is one of the easiest and most feasible ways to support local farmers while eating seasonal, and often organic, produce on the way.
However, as Elizabeth Henderson (of the Genesee Organic Valley CSA) writes in her book Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture, keeping up with CSA may often add more burden on farmers that pulls them away from their role as growers and providers as fresh produce. This can include CSA membership management, budgeting, marketing, and advertising - all tasks that are necessary in the overseeing of a CSA, and also time-consuming. Further, CSA is not as feasible for small-scale or beginner farmers who may want to sell their produce on a subscription basis but cannot provide for full shares for many people.
That's where the idea of multi-farm, or cooperative CSA, comes in. Multi-farm CSA involves many farms coming together for one share service, often managed by someone (or a team) who provides marketing and management for the CSA, leaving farmers with as much time as needed for farm care and upkeep. Smaller farmers now have a chance to be a part of CSA, as they have a more reliable consumer base, supported by larger farms with more products.
Rochester's Good Food Collective is a multi-farm CSA that collects produce from farms, most organic, surrounding the Rochester area and divides and provides it in shares for paying members. With over 1,000 shareholders for its current summer season (including me), the GFC carries its shares by the truckload to various distribution points in the Rochester area. Its extensive website includes a "Food Manuel" that gives tips on cooking, preserving, and freezing each fruit and vegetable, farm and farmer profiles, and options for share distributions such as season, location, and additional shares like bread, eggs, honey, meat. etc.
While multi-farm CSA does not provide for the same local community experience as traditional CSA, it is a strategic and sustainable option for increasing local consumption and providing fruits and vegetables to people across a large region. Geneseo students and community members will have the opportunity this fall to be members of the GFC fall share, that will run for 10 weeks immediately following the close of the Geneseo Farmers Market. Get excited!
For those who don't know much about local food systems, I'll provide a miniature lesson on community-supported agriculture, although I would suggest further research, I mean like a Google search, as the idea has so many variations, interpretations, and traditions.
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) has been a growing (heh) practice since its first U.S. introduction in the 1980s and has especially expanded in the past 10 years, increasing almost tenfold since 2002, a growth that reflects a rising consumer awareness that pines for localism, healthy whole foods, and even food and social justice.
While many variations exist on the CSA structure, it always involves a farm, shareholders, and a season-long agreement between the two, either through subscription payments, labor on the farm, or a combination of both to some extent. Shareholders or workers then receive produce and goods from that farm throughout the season, most often on a weekly basis. It's kind of like a magazine subscription... but better. Can you eat magazines?
CSA is centered on the idea of "sharing the risk" with farmers, with paying members providing stability for farmers, who can now farm without concern for weak profits due to poor weather, disaster, or unreliable markets. Most also see CSA as a community enhancer, with shareholders benefiting from the bountiful local harvest and farmers often receiving better prices for their goods. CSA is one of the easiest and most feasible ways to support local farmers while eating seasonal, and often organic, produce on the way.
However, as Elizabeth Henderson (of the Genesee Organic Valley CSA) writes in her book Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture, keeping up with CSA may often add more burden on farmers that pulls them away from their role as growers and providers as fresh produce. This can include CSA membership management, budgeting, marketing, and advertising - all tasks that are necessary in the overseeing of a CSA, and also time-consuming. Further, CSA is not as feasible for small-scale or beginner farmers who may want to sell their produce on a subscription basis but cannot provide for full shares for many people.That's where the idea of multi-farm, or cooperative CSA, comes in. Multi-farm CSA involves many farms coming together for one share service, often managed by someone (or a team) who provides marketing and management for the CSA, leaving farmers with as much time as needed for farm care and upkeep. Smaller farmers now have a chance to be a part of CSA, as they have a more reliable consumer base, supported by larger farms with more products.
Rochester's Good Food Collective is a multi-farm CSA that collects produce from farms, most organic, surrounding the Rochester area and divides and provides it in shares for paying members. With over 1,000 shareholders for its current summer season (including me), the GFC carries its shares by the truckload to various distribution points in the Rochester area. Its extensive website includes a "Food Manuel" that gives tips on cooking, preserving, and freezing each fruit and vegetable, farm and farmer profiles, and options for share distributions such as season, location, and additional shares like bread, eggs, honey, meat. etc.
While multi-farm CSA does not provide for the same local community experience as traditional CSA, it is a strategic and sustainable option for increasing local consumption and providing fruits and vegetables to people across a large region. Geneseo students and community members will have the opportunity this fall to be members of the GFC fall share, that will run for 10 weeks immediately following the close of the Geneseo Farmers Market. Get excited!
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