Only Reconnect - Agri-culture: Reconnecting People, Land and Nature - page 118

a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm some two hours' drive north-
west of Chicago. 39 Tom is director of the farm's Learning Centre, and he
shows us a farm quite unlike anything else in the region. Angelic Organics
is a 32-hectare organic farm, ten of which are used each year to grow 47
varieties of fruiting, leaf, cole, onion and root crops, and a further 12 types
of herb. It is supported directly by 800 members who pay for a season's
supply of vegetables in advance; each week from June to November, fresh
produce is packed into boxes and delivered to Chicago, Rockford and other
regional urban centres.
Unlike most of the farms in the region, this is a human-scale operation.
The farm community comprises 11 staff and 3 to 5 interns, and produces
145 tonnes of vegetables per season. It is well connected to its members.
It has also reached out to many other groups through its learning centre,
each year providing 1000 urban young people with rural immersion
experiences (few, if any, have ever been near a farm before), and horti-
cultural therapy for refugees and victims of torture. A group of 150
low-income families receive free boxes of vegetables throughout the season.
This is a farm connected both to nature and to its wider community, and
members appreciate this fact. One member says: 'You taught me to have more
respect for the work that you and other farmers do, and to appreciate and consider the
connection that should exist between a healthy life and good food.' Another writes: 'There
is something to be said about being in time with the seasons. It just feels right.' Another
reflects on changed eating habits: 'We have tried so many new vegetables that I would
not have bought at a store.'
This is one of more than 1000 CSA farms across the US and Canada,
the first having been established in Massachusetts in 1985. These farms
directly connect with 77,000 members and bring 36 million dollars of
income per year directly to the farms. The basic model is simple: con-
sumers pay growers for a share of the total farm produce, and growers
provide a weekly share of food of a guaranteed quality and quantity.
Members typically pay US$200 to US$500 for a season's share, and
would, on average, have to pay one third more for the same food at a
supermarket. One study in Massachusetts indicted that a US$470 share
was equivalent to US$700 worth of produce if bought conventionally. 40
CSAs also encourage social responsibility, increase understanding of
farming amongst consumers, and increase the diversity of crops grown
by farmers in response to consumer demand. The central principle is that
they produce what people want, instead of concentrating on crops that
could give the greatest returns. In addition to receiving a weekly share of
produce, CSA members often take part in life on the farm through
workdays. Many CSA farms give out newsletters with the weekly food
share, so that members stay in touch and know what crops are expected.