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Yesterday I participated in the 10th annual CSA in New York Conference at Columbia Teachers College organized by Just Food. The all day, sold out event was attended by over 400 people and provided a terrific opportunity to learn more about Community Sponsored Agriculture and local farming through keynote speakers, workshop sessions, a farmer panel, and an expo with local food and drink. It was informative and inspiring and a great way to get to know more people at the heart of the burgeoning local food movement in New York City and across the country .

For those of you not familiar yet with CSAs, here is an excerpt from an overview on CSAs that you can find on JustFood.org.

“CSA allows city residents to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by regional farmers.
When you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of vegetables from a regional farmer. Weekly or bi-weekly, from June until October or November, your farmer > will deliver that share of produce to a convenient drop-off > location in your neighborhood. CSA members pay for an entire season of produce upfront (typically $400-$600). This early bulk payment enables your farmer to plan for the season, purchase new seed, make equipment repairs, and more. Shares usually include 7-10 types of vegetables, enough for a family of 2-3 people. Most CSAs also offer half shares for smaller households or busy New Yorkers who frequently eat out.”

CSA have experienced amazing growth over the last decade, starting with the initial few set in motion by the dedicated founders of Just Food and growing to now over a hundred serving New York City. People join and love CSAs for a number of reasons including:

Obtaining and enjoying fresh food from local farms Health benefits of eating more vegetables and fruit of a higher quality Supporting local farms and help them stay afloat Protecting the environment by supporting farmers who both take care of land better and also by buying food transported over less distance Enjoying relationships formed with other members of their CSA and with their farmer.

Amy Cotler, author of “The Locavore Way”, spoke in her workshop about the many reasons people join CSAs and emphasized the value CSA members place on being more connected with their farmer and food source as well as like-minded members of their community. Her blog, and book is a great resource for novices and veterans on everything they need to know need to buy, cook, and eat food grown, raised and produced close to home.

CSAs have grown because farmers also love them. This was expressed unanimously and emphatically by all the farmers participating in the “Farmer Panel” held in the late afternoon. Farmer’s also value the direct relationship they have with their customers and particularly the CSA core team and the greater appreciation and financial commitment to their harvest, whatever that happens to be each year which is never known. 2009 was an “annus horribilis” for farmers by all accounts with incessant rain, tomato blights, and more, and the shared ownership and risk model of CSAs helped them weather the storm and get through to what all hope is a better 2010!

For those of you interested in learning more about CSAs and finding one, I highly recommend visiting the Just Food website and using their CSA locator resource. Consider in making your decision that the closer the drop-off location the more likely you will actually use and stay with a CSA and also that you can share in the share cost and effort to pick-up produce with other friends or family.

You may not be able to join the best CSA for you right away. As a result of their growing popularity many are already fully subscribed and have a waiting list. However, for those who want to take initiative, you can look into starting a new CSA with Just Food’s help- see the “How to Start a CSA in NYC page” on Just Food’s website.

Wishing you much enjoyment of local, farm fresh food especially as more of it becomes available in a few months! And stay tuned for more blogs and resources on FoodieLink that will help you in doing so.