The World of Community Supported Agriculture

All the way around the world in countries as diverse as the United States, Japan, France, China or Mali, people who farm and people who eat are forming communities around locally grown food. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Teikei, AMAP, Reciproco, ASC – the names may be different but the essence is the same. Active citizens are making a commitment to local farms to share the risks and the bounty of ecological farming. The author gives numerous examples of CSA in all these countries.

The Urgenci Network was born from these experiences. The Mission of Urgenci is to further, on the international level, local solidarity-based partnerships between farmers and consumers. The network defines the solidarity-based partnership as an equitable commitment between farmers and consumers where farmers receive fair remuneration and consumers share the risk and rewards of a sustainable agriculture.” The primary activities have been facilitating exchanges of information and visits among partnership participants in different countries.