Local
food production and distribution
strategy, where supporters (consumers) cover the cost of a
farm's
operating costs by purchasing
shares of the harvest.
The CSA model supports the goals of:
- connecting the consumer to food supply
- connecting the farmer directly to the consumer
- encouraging land stewardship
- preserving farm land
- encourage small and medium size farming
- developing regional food supplies
- strengthening local economies
This agricultural and economic model of farming subscriptions began in
Japan in the
1960s, when
women consumers concerned with high food prices and disappearing farming traditions set up community farms in a program called "teikei," or "putting a face on the farmer's food."