Community Supported Conservation Supports Community Agriculture

It’s community supported agriculture (CSA) sign up season in the Upper Valley! CSA’s bring the food system hyper local by directly connecting food producers with their consumers. Consumers directly support the farmers by subscribing for a share of the farm’s production prior to each growing season. This arrangement allows for the farmer to have ready capital to rely on for buying seeds, transplants, and other inputs they need for the growing season, and to pay their farm labor without waiting until the harvest to generate revenue. Unlike more conventional agriculture, where farmers bear the risk of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community supported agriculture subscribers share in both bounty and scarcity.

Strawberry Fields on Conserved Land at Edgewater Farm at the Putnam Homestead.

Many Upper Valley farms offer a CSA option for their customers and many of those farms use land conserved by the Upper Valley Land Trust. There is a list of farms with CSA options that utilized conserved land below.

Early greens in the hoop houses at Sunrise Farm.

During this time of stress and uncertainty there is heightened concern for our local food system, and people are turning even more toward supporting our farms. The Upper Valley contains some of the best agricultural soils in the country. Working with farmers, UVLT is protecting this land to grow food and keep our communities resilient.

Veggies in the field at Sweetland Farm

Becoming part of a CSA today ensures fresh, local food throughout the summer, with minimal trips to the grocery store. Now is a great time to find out what resources are available in your community to support the local food system.