Resiliency in Community Supported Agriculture
In the midst of this pandemic, I bet you’re feeling anxious like I am about all the school closures, event closures, and social distancing. What will that mean for our lives and incomes in the coming months? So, I just want to reassure you that in our CSA, we’ve always allowed folks to drop out and receive a refund for the remainder of the season when something unforeseen comes up like job changes, moving, etc. We’ll do the same thing in 2020 too. CSA is built on mutual support. So even though our agreement says commitment for the entire season and no refunds, if something big happens in your life we’re here to support you if that means you have to drop out, just like you support Zenger Farm when you sign up.
I’m also feeling a lot of gratitude to be part of a CSA, as both a farmer and an eater. When I’ve heard others talk about a resilient food system, or talked about it myself, we were talking about growing food locally, about treating the environment with respect, and about economic and social justice for both farmers and eaters. I never really appreciated that CSA contributes to the resiliency of a local food system by offering a unique kind of food safety: eaters can avoid large crowds at grocery stores or farmers markets. And for the farm, the farmers can rely on CSA income even if farmers markets or grocery stores are closed. CSA really is a unique and important business model. I’m glad to see support for CSA as part of a resilient tapestry of alternatives in our food system. I believe it’s that tapestry of alternatives that will help us meet the challenges of our climate crisis and whatever else the 21st century holds.
The farm crew starts on Monday. I can’t wait for you to meet the four new apprentices! The six of us are really looking forward to growing you the most delicious, healthiest, and safest produce available. I’ll finish by boasting that we’ve done thorough trainings on food safety and have had a written policy since 2011. We really do follow best practices and do our best to take care of all of you, whether there is a pandemic or not.
Anyways, take care of yourselves, your family, your friends and community. We can’t wait until May when you get your first veggies!
Farmer Bryan
By Colleen | March 13, 2020 | Uncategorized | Comments Off