COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE — A DELICIOUS WIN-WIN

The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model we practice at West County Community Farm emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the rapid industrialization of agriculture.

The premise is simple: A community of neighbors bands together to support a local farm — its land, its farmers — at the beginning of a growing season and reaps the rewards of the harvest.

This structure gives farmers the upfront security they need and frees them to farm well — caring for land and soil which yields vibrant, nourishing food. Members receive produce that is unmatched in freshness, abundant, and deeply connected to the place they call home.

CSA represents a fundamentally different kind of food economy — one that reconnects people to the true costs of farming sustainably. It stands in quiet contrast to global industrial agriculture — a system often built on exploitive labor and environmental practices that are kept out of view to deliver artificially cheap food.

When members sign-up for our CSA program, they are purchasing a relationship to our farm — which entitles them to a share of all that we grow — rather than a set quantity of produce. The main question that informs our share prices each year is, "How much do we need from each participating adult member to provision them with bountiful food and flowers while taking care of our soil, ecosystem, and our crew?"

In the associative economic spirit, larger households and households alternating weeks, are asked to cover more of the costs of production and overhead because larger households impact these costs more and tend to fill up their bags more over course of a season than smaller households. 

This tried-and-true model has many win-wins. Members are often shocked by the free-choice selection and a giddy abundance they experience here. And we farmers start our season knowing for whom and how much we need to grow so we can focus on farming.

We love it and we think you will too.