Growing more than food: Building resilience through community-supported agriculture

A bag of mixed produce received as part of a community-supported agriculture share. (Credit: Renee Johnston for Public Square Amplified)

In Part 1 of this series examining local food systems, we explored the impact of federal funding stoppages on institutional purchasing power to the detriment of New Jersey’s farmers and consumers. This week, we pivot to another segment of the food system, with a focus on independent producers and community-building through local markets and the CSA (community-supported agriculture) model. 

Atlantic County - Food systems can be complex entities, often finding the consumer far removed from the producer. Long-haul shipping brings fruits and vegetables across oceans and continents, eggs appear uncannily uniform in their factory-farm cartons, and meat, fish, and fowl, diapered and wrapped in plastic, greet shoppers from neat rows in grocery store coolers. And while the modern supermarket is a critical food access point, even being valued as a defining factor in identifying food desert communities, and even as major retailers begin to lean into the local food movement, small producers nationwide and here in New Jersey continue to find innovative ways to gain market share through community-supported agriculture.

What is community-supported agriculture? 

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is far from a new concept, with much credit going to Indian Line Farm in Massachusetts and Temple-Wilton Community Farm in New Hampshire as being flagships for the CSA model beginning in the 1980s. However, it was Black agrarian, educator, and early proponent of sustainable farming practices, Booker T. Whatley, a 1957 doctoral graduate of horticulture from Rutgers University, who first proposed and helped implement the CSA model to shore up struggling Black farmers while teaching at Tuskegee University and writing his still-popular book, How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres.

The CSA model is built on a simple premise: local producers offer a prepaid subscription to consumers, who will then regularly receive a share of goods for the length of the subscription. Typical subscriptions may last for a growing season, with buyers receiving their CSA shares weekly or bi-weekly. There are several variations on the model; for example, CSA shares may come pre-packed by the producer, or, in some cases, buyers may choose their goods upon pick-up. Farmers also may offer a range of sizes to best fit their customers’ needs. 

Building ownership and protecting the economy through the CSA model

While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not directly track the number of CSA farms, data collected by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service indicates that in 2020, more than 7,200 farms self-reported as using the CSA model as part or all of their direct-to-consumer services, with CSA sales amounting to $225 million. There are several benefits to both producers and consumers in the CSA model, including early-season capital to support inputs — seeds, transplants, animal feed, and labor, for example — so that the buyer may benefit from the outputs — fresh produce, eggs, meat, and value-added products like breads, cheeses, jams, and experiences such as CSA-member farm tours, as their subscription season progresses. 

The CSA model also promotes and protects a circular local food economy. For the farmer, prepaid subscriptions mean a lesser need to source funding to support the growing season and a dependable income stream with each subscription cycle. The consumer is protected from unpredictable food prices and ever-increasing inflation and can take pride knowing that they are directly contributing to the sustainability of their local farms while receiving fresh, nutritious goods produced in their own community. And by reducing food miles, or the distance food travels from producer to consumer, CSAs also reduce the environmental impact of food production. 

(Infographic: Mandy Coriston for Public Square Amplified)

CSAs and resilient communities: it’s about more than the food 

CSAs are a popular sales model for New Jersey farmers, and for those passionate about local food and building connections, the South Jersey Farm Collective is an example of the true spirit of community-supported agriculture. Founded and led by two emerging female small-scale farmers, the South Jersey Farm Collective offers year-round 3-month CSA shares that correspond to the four seasons, aggregating and distributing goods from multiple local farms to provide shareholders with fresh, seasonal foods, value-added products, informative articles, recipes and suggestions for using each box’s contents—and even cut flowers when available.

Co-founder Melanie Ganzman of Fluffy Farms in Atlantic County says the benefits of their CSA system go far beyond what goes into their share boxes. 

“Being a collective means we can divide labor within the farming aspect of things, taking the burden off each small producer,” Ganzman said. “We can help avoid farmer burnout and feel more like part of a community. But we can also offer shares with a wider variety of fresh food, because we all contribute something different, and if one person’s tomatoes aren’t flourishing, someone else’s might be. It’s less stress on each grower. I love not feeling alone, or like I am working in a silo. The collective is greater as a whole.” 

That connection between farmers has even grown to include a participant of the C.R.O.P.S. (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) UCAN (Urban Coastal Agriculture Network) Farmer Training Program. Based in Atlantic City, C.R.O.P.S. works to alleviate food insecurity with a variety of programs designed to support food production, food access, education, and sustainability. 

“We wanted to bring together some of the more rural and more urban food producers here in Atlantic County,” Ganzman said. “And this was a great way to promote that connection and support a brand-new farmer.” 

Ganzman also spoke of a sense of pride in providing the community with a secure, local food source. 

“When the subscription is prepaid, people don’t have to worry about the rising cost of food. Their eggs and produce will be there for them no matter what happens with the outside supply chain,” she added. “In a way, it’s a bit of food security in very uncertain times.” 

And while Ganzman, like many others, remains concerned about the economy and the state of the food system, it is hard for her to hide the joy and optimism with which she approaches farming. 

“We love the community that we’re building here,” she said. “We’ve helped spread the word about blanket drives and other events, we’ve tried out new products, we get to show people around our farms and beehives and gardens and see them connect with where their food comes from. We love offering products and little extras that customers appreciate and find affordable and attractive.” 

Asked if the CSA model is growing, thriving, and here to stay in South Jersey and throughout the state, Ganzman was enthusiastic in her response.

“Yes, absolutely — this model works, and people are hungry for it.”