Find a Farm, courtesy of LocalHarvest.org
Support yourself in eating a plant-based diet by eating fresh, local produce at your neighborhood farm! LocalHarvest.org maintains a grassroots directory that has family farms with Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) all across the country. See what's for dinner near you!
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What is Community Supported Agriculture?
Community Supported Agriculture is a growing movement that connects farmers directly with consumers. Members buy a "share" of the farm's produce for the season, and pick up shares on a weekly or monthly basis.
Having a CSA share is a great way for consumers to buy fresh, locally produced food at very afforable prices. Having a farmshare means relationships are created with farmers, consumers know where their food comes from, and people can support their local economy. Buying into a CSA is a wonderful way to support yourself in eating a plant-based diet.
Farmers usually prefer that members pay upfront, but some farms offer more flexible payment plans. Some CSA farms also require that members work a certain number of hours on the farm during the season. The length of a CSA season varies between farms, and also by climate.
Use the search engine provided by localharvest.org to find a CSA near you!
Local Harvest Explains CSAs
This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer. In brief...
Advantages for farmers:
- Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for consumers:
- Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and health benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Find that kids typically favor food from "their" farm – even veggies they've never been known to eat
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
It's a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. The government does not track CSAs, so there is no official count of how many CSAs there are in the U.S.. LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 2,500 listed in its grassroots database. In 2008, 557 CSAs signed up with LocalHarvest, and in the first two months of 2009, an additional 300 CSAs joined the site.
