community-supported agriculture (csa) is an alternative model to industrial agriculture. the term 'csa' can also refer to a particular farm's business. csa members pay at the beginning of the season for a share in a farm's harvest and receive a regular portion of whatever the farm produces. in a csa setup, the members share in some of the risk and reward of farming. what goes into a csa box depends on what is available for harvest at that time of year.
there are many benefits to csas. many csas are run by small farmers with a focus on organic, permaculture or biodynamic farming. csa farmers usually produce a wide variety of crops, often including interesting heirloom varieties you can't find in the supermarket. the produce is local and fresh because you're getting it directly from the farmer.
despite the fact that farming generally isn't very lucrative, agriculture is big business for corporations, who usually have other incentives than nutrition, farm ecology or lowering fossil fuel emissions. by supporting a small-scale urban farmer not only are you filling your pot with artisan-quality seasonal produce, you're also helping our urban environment and changing the global economy!
