Q&A

DEAR NEW FARM:

My wife and I are about to inherit my family's 90-acre farm. We are interested in alternative methods through which such small ventures can be made into worthwhile endeavors. What is the process of working with a CSA, or the process of becoming one, essentially? What does a landowner provide to the community involved, etc.? How much control is exercised over the land by others?

Roger Wadleigh
New Hampshire

DEAR ROGER:

There are a lot of CSA models. Elizabeth Henderson wrote the definitive book on them, Sharing the Harvest (Chelsea Green), along with the late Robyn Van En: www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=804.

We've reprinted a number of selected writings by Elizabeth here on New Farm that address the ins and outs of CSA farming:

CSA Farm Expects More than a Yearly Fee; Members Gladly Dig In

Preserving Peacework: a long-term alternative to farm ownership

And we've also devoted a whole page to CSA resources, including a two-part history of the movement in this country:

CSA Resource Page

That should answer most of your questions and spark some ideas.

Good luck,
NF

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