The Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) model is a marketing model whereby local farmers offer unique farm products to buyers who will subscribe to receive a weekly or monthly box of fruits, vegetables, fresh flowers, eggs, meats, cheeses, or any assortment of local farm products. Through the use of CSAs, customers can develop a caring relationship with a local farm, just by purchasing farm products in advance. Numerous local farmers nationwide and in North Carolina offer this mutually beneficial service. In some cases, multiple farms come together to aggregate their product through multi-farm CSAs.
On This Page
:Guides & Toolkits
North Carolina Resources
- Community-Supported Agriculture for Farmers Guide: An NC State Extension resource guide that includes information on how to develop a business plan and budget, set a share price, recruit members, and more.
National Resources
- Local Harvest: A Multifarm CSA Handbook: This 2010 SARE handbook offers guidance on cooperative marketing, and how farmers in CSA cooperatives can best work together to market their produce, including advice on staffing, volunteer boards, distribution, legal topics and other practical information.
- Planning for a CSA: Farm Bureau Financial Services' how-to guide on starting a CSA and how to plan for one. It includes key tips on shaping a profitable CSA.
- USDA CSA Directory: This Directory lists farm or network/association of multiple farms that offer consumers regular deliveries of locally-grown farm products during one or more harvest season(s) on a subscription or membership basis.
North Carolina Resources
- CFSA CSA: This page from Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) lists a series of blog posts related to CSAs. It includes an on-farm pickups/CSA/home delivery map, questions to ask before buying a CSA share, and more.
- Vacationer Supported Agriculture: Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) is a project led by NC State’s P1tLab and NC State Extension (Local Foods, Community Development, and Tourism Extension) aiming to connect small farmers with new opportunities to increase farm revenue through direct sales of fresh produce. This page contains more information about the concept and project.
National Resources
- CSA Innovation Network: The CSA Innovation Network is a national community of farmers and farmer support organizations dedicated to unifying and strengthening the CSA movement. Explore this page's resources, online discussion group, and Ideas Lab session recordings.
- USDA CSA: This page from the UDSA provides an introduction to CSAs, local food/CSA locators, data, and reports on Community Supported Agriculture.
:Publications
North Carolina Resources
- Connecting Farmers with Local Customers through Community Supported Agriculture
- Workplace Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting Local Farms to Local Employers, 2006. Report developed by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems.
National Resources
- Community Supported Agriculture New Models for Changing Markets, 2017. USDA report highlighting changes in Community Supported Agriculture business models.
