CSA Membership
Greener Partners' Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program offers a direct, fun way to connect with our farms and farmers, while ensuring a steady and ever-changing supply of seasonal, local, organically grown produce. A weekly share of fresh fruits and vegetables is just the beginning of what our CSA is all about: Membership brings a chance to connect with the farm and farmers. Farm newsletters outline opportunities for weekly farm visits, and membership includes weekly "you pick" harvests in the fields.
CSAs provide a tangible way to understand and promote land stewardship and the seasonal cycles of produce. But they also offer a way to participate in the larger ecosystem of farming: the community that supports small-scale, local food production. In true partnership, CSA members share the risks of agriculture with farmers, ensuring that even in the event of unforeseen circumstances, farmers' livelihood will be secure. Such risks are minimized through smart growing, including through the planting of a diversity of crops that are resilient to a range of conditions. In the spirit of our commitment to the traditions of CSAs and food coops, your membership shows we're all — farmer and consumer — connected.
History
Community Supported Agriculture began in the 1960s with independent farm partnership experiments in Japan and Europe. Considered the world's first CSA program, teikei – derived from the word for "cooperation" or "partnership" – began when a group of Japanese women, alarmed by the prevalence of pesticides, formed a cooperative to create annual food subscriptions in partnership with farmers. The idea first took hold in the US at two New England farms, Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts and Temple-Wilton Community Farm in New Hampshire, in 1986. Influenced by the ideas of Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner, these pioneer farms were cooperative in nature, formed by shareholders who managed the farms and the hired farm manager. The number of CSAs has taken off, growing from around 60 in 1990 to the thousands of farms in existence today. For more on the CSA movement, visit the Robin Van En CSA Center at Wilson College.
Read More About CSA Membership
CSA Membership is now open for the 2012 season.