What does Community Supported Agriculture mean? Basically, CSA is a business model, which is a mutually beneficial relationship among farmers, eaters (members), and the land where the food is grown. Members receive the freshest, highest quality seasonal produce available and the opportunity to know who’s growing their food (sometimes even to participate!) and how the farmers steward their land and resources. Farmers receive payment up front before the beginning of the season, allowing them to pay for seed, equipment, and labor without incurring debt, and get to know the people eating their crops. The land itself benefits from members having a personal, vested interest in its wellbeing. Members interested in conservation, open space preservation, or thriving agrarian communities can literally put their money where their mouth is and become direct advocates for the very land that sustains them. more...
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