Sustainable Communities
Network Case StudiesSustainable Communities
Network Case Studies
Contact: Gina Russo
Chesapeake Community Supported Agriculture
11904 Old Marlboro Pike
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Tel: (301) 627-3250
Fax: (301) 574-3705
Scope: Rural & Urban
Project type: Community supported agriculture
We live in an age when most of us have no idea where the food on our
tables originates, and the frequently reported news of the perils of our
nation's diminishing family farmers evokes little empathy. Urban regions
are particularly distanced from the agricultural produce upon which people
depend, and Washington D.C. is no exception.
A number of communities around the country, however, are taking action to
change this situation by directly linking people to farmers and to the land
they farm. This linkage is called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
The Chesapeake Community Supported Agriculture was planned to address these
dilemmas by providing farmers with agricultural land and people of a particularly
large urban area with an economically sound supply of fresh vegetables on
a regular basis.
Community Supported Agriculture is organized around land, farmers, and members.
CSAs develop loose partnerships of mutual commitment on the part of local
food producers and local consumers. Establishing a CSA is a relatively straightforward
process. The farmer, or "grower" and the core group draw up a
budget which reflects the production costs for the year. This budget includes
the salaries of the farmers and the distribution and administration costs,
in addition to the costs of seed, soil amendments (such as lime, compose,
potting soil, mulch, or the like) small equipment, etc. This figure is then
divided by the number of persons that the farm/garden site can provide for
and this determines the cost of a "share" of the harvest. A share
is designed to feed 2-5 adults with a mixed diet or 1-2 vegetarians by providing
all of their fresh produce for one week. Larger households and restaurants
often buy multiple shares.
The consumer group or members agree to pay their fraction of the production
costs while sharing the risk and/or the bounty with the growers. In return,
the members receive a variety of local, same-day-fresh, typically organic
vegetables, fruits, herbs or and/or grains once a week during spring, summer,
fall and once a month in winter if a root cellar or cold storage is available.
This system has a broad, beneficial effect in many ways: it guarantees an
income for farmers/gardeners; it provides up-front capitol that frees farmers
from depending upon banks for loans; it diversifies the risk and capitalization
over the consumer groups, therefore allowing the farmer/gardener to do the
best job possible using the most ecologically sound procedure or transitioning
to lower/no chemical input; it keeps revenue in the local economy; it efficiently
shares the entire harvest rather than using only uniform size and shape
cuts, therefore cutting down on waste and keeping the share cost comparable
to supermarket prices; it cuts out processing, packaging, and shipping,
which positively affects both the wholesomeness of the vegetables and fruits
as well as cuts out unnecessary costs; and it allows membership from all
socio-economic strata, which typically costs about $1 a day often with the
option of payment plans, sliding scale fees or working memberships.
In the case of the CCSA many of the 145 households who are members are directly
involved in community building and development through the CCSA. The CCSA
strives to reach out to its members and to help them connect with the earth
and their food, and encourage them to take responsibility for and participation
in the environment, the economy, and the community which affects them on
a daily basis. They hold seasonal festivals and activities, work together
at the CCSA, and organize other community gatherings, thereby revitalizing
their relationship with the land as well as to the other community members.
The member households are located in and around Washington DC, giving "city
folks" the opportunity to take part in an endeavor that had, in the
past, been available to rural dwellers only.
The CCSA is an efficiently run operation. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
a non-governmental organization whose main objective is to conserve the
Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, serves as the land holder. Two full-time
gardeners, a bookkeeper, an administrative assistant and a team of seasonal
interns and apprentices are employed directly by the CCSA. A voluntary board
of directors helps set the long and short term goals of the CCSA.
This Board has also spurred the development of committees devoted to the
CCSA's finances, legal matters, newsletter, recruitment and public relations,
fundraising, and management. Over 16 tons of food is grown and distributed
during a 29 week delivery season, and two of the prime delivery spots are
located on the premises of schools in Silver Spring and Bethesda, Maryland.
Increased soil fertility has also resulted from the organic farming practices
used by the CCSA. Such an organized system, along with the close integration
into the community through its members, Board, and delivery locations, further
works toward creating a sustainable operation.
Though the CCSA's success has been tremendous, and it now has a waiting
list for membership, the CCSA has its problems to overcome. The land they
hold is secure, though they have no formal lease agreement and land is not
affordable to purchase or acquire through other land trusts; farmland in
the region is available, yet is quickly being used for suburban development
purposes; money for capital investments or long-term staff housing is difficult
to raise; each year the budget is difficult to configure in order to pay
the farmers and interns/apprentices a decent salary or stipend; there is
a shortage of skilled farmers, making the development of apprenticeship
programs all the more necessary; and reaching out to more diverse groups
of people, especially more ethnically diverse people, those of lower socio-economic
backgrounds, and those who would not otherwise have access to organically
produced foods is a slow and difficult process.
Nevertheless, CSAs are beginning to communicate their difficulties among
each other, and share strategies for overcoming the common obstacles. About
400 CSAs have been started throughout the United States. The average CSA
has about 100 families (counting 3 people as a "family"), therefore
CSAs service about 120,000 people nationwide and are growing quickly in
popularity. More and more initiatives are cropping up to serve as models
for people who want to begin CSAs as a sustainable means of taking food
production and distribution into their control through a participatory,
grassroots, venture that benefits the local economy, environment and community.
Special thanks to Gina Russo and the Chesapeake Community Supported Agriculture
(CCSA) case study she wrote, from which this study is compiled.
Case Study Source: Sustainability
in Action: Profiles of Community Initiatives Across the United States--
American Forum for Global Education. 1995
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