Community Supported Agriculture
What is Community Supported Agriculture?
CSA refers to a model of farming in which farmers sell harvest shares (vegetables, flowers, meat, etc.) directly to people in the local community. It was adopted in America from Japanese and European models, largely as a response to the disappearance of the small farm. CSA represents a shared commitment - shareholders commit to the farm for the season, providing farmers with a secure customer base, and farmers commit to doing their best to provide shareholders with high quality, nutritious food. The direct connection between farmer and consumers bypasses middlemen (e.g., marketers, long distance shippers), benefits the farmer by increasing farm revenue, benefits the environment by decreasing packaging and pollution, and benefits consumers by providing fresh, high-quality produce at competitive prices.
This description of a CSA provided courtesy of Waltham Community Fields Farm, located in Waltham, MA.
How Does Your CSA Work?
- NESFP provides oversight to a farmer cooperative called World PEAS Cooperative ("WPC"), consisting of farmers who have graduated from the NESFP training program.
- These farmers produce fruits and vegetables at NESFP training sites and independent farm sites, which they sell through the CSA.
- Customers become members of the CSA by purchasing "shares", which they pay for prior to the beginning of the growing season.
- Purchase of a share allows the customer to receive weekly distributions of fresh, locally-grown produce for 18 weeks, beginning in late-June. Though early season shares tend to be smaller, the shares generally provide enough produce for a family of four.
- Shares consist of summertime favorites like tomatoes and peppers as well as ethnic, specialty vegetables from our farmers' home countries.
- Beginning in 2007, WPC also began to offer a winter share of hardy vegetables and a fruit share.
- Members must pick up their shares at the farm distribution site, Richardson's Dairy Farm in Dracut, MA. (Directions), or at a Cluster Distribution center in your community. See Cluster Program brochure for information about our Cluster program.
The CSA offers local consumers the opportunity to form relationships with the farmers who grow their produce and WPC farmers are provided with a guaranteed market for their produce for the entire growing season. By joining this CSA, consumers make a commitment to NESFP's immigrant farmers, share the benefits and risks of the farmers' production, and help maintain farming operations and agricultural land in Massachusetts.
How Do I Sign Up?
Please see CSA FAQ, the World PEAS Cooperative CSA brochure, and the Fruit and Winter Shares Brochure for information regarding becoming a member.
Shares for the upcoming growing season become available during the winter. If you would like us to notify you when shares become available for purchase, please send your contact information to us at:
