A method of marketing used by some fruit, vegetable and livestock producers is known as community supported agriculture (CSA). A grower contacts interested buyers at the beginning of the season and offers shares to purchase. Customers buy the shares or subscriptions for the season. Payment for the season is preferably made up front.

As fruit and vegetable crops are harvested during the growing season, they are delivered directly or to key distribution points each week for customers to pick up. Some farms allow their customers to provide labor in exchange for part or all of the value of the subscription. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture (2009), more than 12,500 U.S. farms reported marketing products through a CSA.

Sources
Community Supported Ag, USDA.

2007 Census of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2009.


Other Links

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
• Community Supported Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).
• Community Supported Agriculture Farms: Management and Income, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Community Supported Agriculture Resource Guide for Farmers, Growing Small Farms, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
• Community Supported Agriculture Resources for Farmers or Producers, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
• An Evolving Platform for Ecological and Economical Agricultural Marketing and Production, CSA 2001, University of Massachusetts, August 2005 - This study examines the economic viability of CSAs and draws some implications about their behavioral aspects.
• Farmers Markets and Direct-to-Consumer Marketing, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
• Food Circles Networking Project, University of Missouri Extension - Connecting farmers, consumers and communities.
• FoodRoutesFood Systems, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin.
• Growing a Community Food System, Community Ventures Series, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, 1999.
• The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part I, Community Farms in the 21st Century: Poised for Another Wave of Growth, The New Farm, 2004.
• The History of Community Supported Agriculture, Part II, CSA's World of Possibilities, The New Farm, 2004.
• LocalHarvest - This site provides a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers’ markets and other local food sources. Also contains a searchable database, by zip code, of most CSAs.
  

Businesses/Case Studies

• Silver Creek Farm, Hiram, Ohio, Rodale Institute - Silver Creek Farm is Ohio's oldest CSA enterprise. It offers its members a variety of options. They can buy shares including eggs, chicken, lamb, flowers and/or hand-knit sweaters.
• Sisters Hill Farm, Stanfordville, New York - This CSA with more than 200 members is managed by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York. 
   

Links checked January 2010.