How to Start a CSA

Wondering how to start a CSA? As environmental awareness, popularity of local food and gas prices all rise, local food is becoming popular once again. producers across the country are forming Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) gardens and farms to unite farmers and consumers in a mutually beneficial relationship. Farmers benefit from a loyal, committed customer base and buyers benefit from healthy, fresh local food and a deeper connection to their community. Here's how to start a CSA as a food producer.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
    

   Learn as much as you can about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) through websites such as EatWild and LocalHarvest (see links, below). Find farms near you and talk with local producers to find out more about local food sources. Often, there is more demand then supply and other growers will be happy to help you get started.

2. Evaluate whether you are ready and able to produce enough food to support a customer base. You can decide how many shares to offer, and staying small at first is a good idea. However, it may be best to spend a couple growing seasons practicing and selling at farmer's markets (another great way to spread the word) before launching your CSA.

3. 
    

   Decide what your CSA will offer. Will you limit your CSA to fresh fruits and vegetables? Or will you include chicken eggs and meat (grass-fed beef, free-range chickens)? Once you know how to start a CSA, you need to focus on the food your share holders will receive.

4. Draw up a contract and payment schedule for your Community Supported Agriculture members. The Farm to Farm Legal Defense Fund may have sample contracts you can look at, or find out what other CSAs have done.

5. 
    

   Publicize your new CSA. Hand out cards at the farmer's market, get listed at LocalHarvest and EatWild, and introduce yourself to your local Weston A Price chapter leader.

6. Maintain excellent relationships with your CSA members. In Japan, where the movement originated, the term translates to "Food with a Face." Follow this ideal by building friendly relationships with those who buy your produce.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant a large variety of produce. If one crop fails, you still have plenty of items for your members.
• Word of mouth will provide plenty of publicity for your endeavor.

Resources

• Eat Wild
• Local Harvest
• Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF)
• Sharing the Harvest: A Citizens Guide to Community Supported Agriculture

[eatlocal]

on 4/1/2009 Nice overview on starting a CSA. When we started our micro-farm and CSA the hardest thing was trying to figure out how much food we could grow on our land, and about how many people it would feed. We looked at a lot of garden planning software, but none of them gave us all the info we needed, so we ended up making our own calculator. We also made an online version to help others plan their farm or garden. If interested, it is here: http://www.landshareco.org/?page_id=15

[amylaine]

on 5/15/2008 Great advice.