Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has emerged as a direct farm marketing channel during the past 25 years. During the past decade, increased consumer interest in local food has contributed to an increasing and variety of CSA operations (Woods, Ernst, Ernst & Wright, 2009).
According to USDA, a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation. Growers and consumers partner together to share the risks and benefits of food production.
Resources for Producers & Community Leaders
CSA Information from USDA - National Agriculture Library
The CSA Benchmark Project: How Well is My Operation Really Doing? - National Good Food Network webinar
Local Harvest: A Multifarm CSA Handbook -The 126-page book from SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) details how farmers can use CSA cooperatives to best market their produce
Community Supported Agriculture - Fact sheet from University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
A Farmer's Guide to Markting through Community Supported Agriculture - The University of Tennessee
CSA information from ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Robyn Van En Center CSA Blog- Wilson College
The World of Community Supported Agriculture - Conference Keynote
CSA: A Secure Market, A Local Food Supply - ATTRA News, May-June 2006
Videos about CSAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCtcaEnLLsc (Sippel Farm, Our Ohio - Farm Bureau)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__GwcERiDU (Central Ohio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmF2JQnVTtw (Cleveland Ohio – City Fresh)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X6lmagjig4 (Michigan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUBf_a3EtQU (Food Network Feature)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYhM2c8PmM&NR=1 (Texas)
Resources for Educators & Researchers
CSA Survey Report - A summary of a mail survey of farms operating forms of Community Supported Agriculture in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia: distributed Summer 2009 July 2009.
Producer & Member Surveys - AgMRC (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)
Research Brief - Report from a survey of nearly 150 CSAs in nine Midwestern states
CSA: Building Community Among Farmers and Non-Farmers - Journal of Extension