The Growth of the CSA Movement in the U.S.
In a recent post on his blog The Call of the Land, Steven McFadden, co-author of the first book on community supported agriculture, Farms of Tomorrow, looks at the history and trending growth of the CSA movement, including the critical involvement of the biodynamic community:
Unraveling the CSA Number Conundrum
In the beginning it was easy to count. The year was 1986, and there were only two Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in the USA: Indian Line Farm in western Massachusetts, and the Temple-Wilton Community Farm in southern New Hampshire. But not long after that, as the CSA concept spread across America and around the world, the number of farms became a bit of an enigma.
No one was ever quite sure how many CSAs there were. The federal government didn’t track the number; at the same time, for a variety of reasons, many CSAs wanted little to do with government or larger systems.
Now however, thanks to several sources, it’s possible to gain a fair idea. Estimating conservatively, there are currently over 6,000 CSAs in the US, possibly as many as 6,500. Meanwhile, the trend of growth continues onward and upward. …
Click here to read the full post.
I’ve enjoyed reading the comments on Steve’s post. It seems like there are some opportunists who are trying to capitalize on the growth of CSAs in a way that’s not as intended.