CSA for farmers

There are various ways you can use community supported agriculture to either set up your whole farm as a CSA or to use it as an alternative business or marketing approach for just one aspect of your farm.

CSA can provide a guaranteed market for your produce, sometimes alongside other marketing routes. It is particularly relevant if you are a smaller scale organic producer who finds it difficult to broker viable contracts with the larger retail and procurement markets.

Farmers can:

• produce vegetables or meat for a group of committed members who pay up front
• offer a CSA monthly meat box
• ask customers to buy a pig share or share of other livestock
• sell cow bonds, asking customers to cover the cost of one cow receiving interest or being paid back in milk
• rent a field to the local community to grow their own vegetables
• get financial support from your community who pay up front for their produce
• set up work days to receive help with sowing, weeding, harvesting and packing from enthusiastic members
• invite members to come to social events on the farm