Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a general term used when local farmers work closely with local consumers. The idea is that the farmer gets a guaranteed local market for the crop while the consumers know how the food was grown and pay a modest price for local food.
Sustainable Thornbury and Thornbury CSA are promoting CSAs in the Thornbury area mainly because it is a way to increase the amount of local food available to consumers in the area. It also means we can support local farmers in growing more sustainably, using less chemicals, less imported animal feeds and less packaging. Thornbury CSA is the first such CSA in the area, but the hope is that there will be more.If you know of a possible site or you are an interested farmer then please contact us.
There are lots of CSAs in Britain. CSAs can take a wide range of forms, such as local vegetable and meat box schemes, farming co-operatives and allotments. At one extreme, the CSA may own the farm and employ the farmer to work the land for the members of the CSA. At the other extreme, the farmer may own the land and control the farm, but use the CSA as a guaranteed market in exchange for modest prices. There are many options in between these extremes. Thornbury CSA pays rent and pays the grower’s wages.
In many CSAs there are events for members held at the farm, and often members can do a few days work a year in exchange for even lower prices. We hope to be able to do this in Thornbury.
CSAs are actively supported by Making Local Food Work (MLFW), the Soil Association and the Biodynamic Agricultural Association.