WSU Extension - Small Farms Team

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

National Listing of CSA Farms

LocalHarvest first founded in 1998 is now the nation's leading informational resource for the Buy Local movement and the top place on the Internet where people find information on direct marketing family farms. As of March 2005 there were nearly 7000 members, with 10 new members being added on a daily basis. Local Harvest estimates that they serve about one million page views per month to the public interested in buying food from family farms.

In simple terms, a CSA is a partnership between farmers and consumers within a community. Members or "shareholders" of the community pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season. This gives farmers cash at the beginning of the season, when they need it to purchase seed and other supplies. Members receive a portion of the farm's produce each week throughout the growing season. Ultimately, a CSA creates "agriculture-supported communities" where members receive a wide variety of foods harvested from local farms and farmers receive a "guaranteed market" for their produce.

Unlike conventional agriculture, where farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace, in Community Supported Agriculture the arrangement guarantees the farmer stable financial support, allowing farmers to focus on producing high quality and diverse crops. This cooperation can provide farmers with a more equitable return for their labor and investment while relieving them of some of the burdens and uncertainties of conventional marketing.

Web resources
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States: A regional characterization, by ErinTegtmeier and Michael Duffy. The Leopold Center, Iowa State University. An excellent review of CSA economics in the Midwest. January 2005.

What is community supported agriculture? 1999, Mara Dyezewski, and Slyvia Kantor, Washington State University Extension, King County.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), USDA Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
Comprehensive site that includes a national state-by-state database, definition of a CSA, and extensive resource listings. 2003.

Community Supported Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Extension.

Community Supported Agriculture, by Katherine Adam, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA). February 2002.

Community Supported Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).

Community Supported Agriculture farms: management and income. Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin. Managing and marketing information involved with a CSA.

Eight tips from the experts to make your Community Shared Agriculture project a success. by Amunda Salm, Ecological Agriculture Projects, McGill University. 1997.

Community supported agriculture, by James Wilkinson, Office of Community Development, USDA. March 2001.

News and publications
Living off the land, 2001, The Tacoma News Tribune.

Pierce farmer cultivates a loyal following, summer 2001, The Tacoma News Tribune.

The Community Farm, a quarterly newsletter especially for people interested in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), sustainable agriculture, and family farms.

State resources
Washington State Resources
2005 Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) Listing, March 2005, provided by Cascade Harvest Coalition. Washington State CSA resource.

Oregon State Resources
CSA farms in Oregon, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association. Inc.

California State Resources
Community Food Systems / Economic Options for Family Farmers, Community Alliance with Family Farmers.