From paninfopubs@igc.apc.orgSat Jan 13 18:49:54 1996 Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 17:39:45 -0800 (PST) From: PANNA InfoPubs To: Recipients of conference Subject: PANUPS: CSA Conference Draws 350+ ===================================== P A N U P S *** Pesticide Action Network North America Updates Service * http://www.panna.org/panna/ * ===================================== January 12, 1996 Farmer-Consumer Links Promoted at Community Supported Agriculture Conference In late 1995, more than 350 people gathered in San Francisco, California for a conference on the social, economic and environmental benefits of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a relatively new model of food production and distribution with roots in European and Japanese movements of the 1960s (see PANUPS January 3, 1995 for information about the "tekei" system in Japan, which is similar to CSA). In CSA farms, producers sell "shares" directly to consumers, who then receive regular (usually weekly) harvest portions throughout the growing season. According to land trust and CSA expert Chuck Matthei, one of the conference's featured speakers, there are between 30,000 and 50,000 CSA members in the U.S. The conference, which attracted growers, wholesalers and retailers, as well as representatives from consumer, environmental and community groups, offered workshops on a range of practical aspects of running CSAs, including legal matters and liability questions, budgets, marketing, land tenure and succession planting, but also included discussions on CSAs' relationship to community, food security and sustainable agriculture. Discussions on food security focused on CSAs' role in creating viable farms integrated into local economies and communities. Several speakers described opportunities for networking among farmers' markets, soup kitchens and community groups to provide fresh, nutritious food to low- income people through CSAs. Gail Feenstra, a CSA shareholder and nutritionist at the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), described how community groups and farmers' markets in Los Angeles have used the CSA model to distribute extra food to low-income people throughout the area. Feenstra also emphasized that because of their local and community orientation, CSAs are well suited to work with marginalized populations who may otherwise lack access to fresh produce and information about nutrition. Participants discussed utilizing the close links among CSA members, farmers and communities to educate members and others about the environmental and health benefits of eating organic food in season. CSAs were also described as an excellent means for farmers to achieve income security independent of variable markets and weather. According to Dru Rivers of Full Belly Farm in California, the predictable income from CSA memberships allows farmers to concentrate more on growing quality produce and less on finding markets. Steve Moore of Moore Ranch in California explained that since developing a CSA, his farm's income had become so reliable that he can now offer year- round work to his employees, whereas before work had been seasonal and irregular. Many participants expressed that CSAs play an important role in strengthening community cohesiveness and cooperation -- a significant attraction for many people. For example, Karen Salkind, a CSA shareholder with the Live Power Farm CSA in Covelo, California, emphasized that sense of community was a crucial factor in her decision to belong to Live Power, a farm whose farmers were able to purchase their land due to the work and contributions of its CSA members. Elizabeth Henderson, a farmer at Rose Valley Farm in New York, pointed to a strong sense of community in the decision of Rose Valley CSA members to subsidize shares for low-income people with fees paid by full-paying shareholders. The conference was co-sponsored by a consortium of farmers, farmer groups, donors, educators and research centers, including CSA West, a recently formed resource and advocacy organization aimed at promoting CSAs. CSA West, a program of the California-based Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), assists farmers in developing CSA programs, offers workshops and presentations about CSAs and monitors CSA developments in the western U.S. Source: PANNA (see below). Contacts: CSA West, University of California, CASFS, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064; phone (408) 459-3964; fax (408) 459-2799; email farmcsa@aol.com; PANNA (see below). =========================================================== | Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) | | | | Phone:(415) 541-9140 Fax:(415) 541-9253 | | Email: panna@panna.org http://www.panna.org/panna/| | PANNA, 116 New Montgomery, #810, San Francisco, CA 94105 | | | |*To subscribe to PANUPS send email to MAJORDOMO@igc.apc.org| | with the following text on one line: subscribe panups | | To unsubscribe send the following: unsubscribe panups | | | |*For basic information about PANNA, send an email message | | to panna-info@igc.apc.org | ===========================================================