Community supported agriculture is the newest trend here in Durango, but what exactly are they and why are they becoming so popular?
Local CSAs
Fields to Plate Produce, a local Durango CSA, explains on their website that community sourced agriculture creates a relationships between farmers and their local community to create mutually beneficial relationships.
This means that while investing in local farmers it is possible to receive local produce to use at home.
When making an investment in these CSAs, a consumer is ideally buying a share of the produce and will receive it, in most cases, weekly.
“Most local CSAs run 18-22 weeks, from June to October,” said Stacey Carlson, a garden staffer, from Twin Buttes of Durango. “People should sign up soon, as many tend to fill up.”
CSA Functionality
There is an understanding when investing in a CSA that there are risks of lack of quantity or quality, but investors accept these risks to support local farming.
“The risk of crop failure, especially due to weather, is shared between the producer and the consumer, as is the bounty of the harvest throughout the season,” Carlson said.
While supporting CSAs, a consumer is benefiting three different groups of people: the CSAa, the farmers and the community.
The Benefits of CSAs
A consumer benefits by getting local and fresh produce. The CSAs are bettering the consumers’ diets, supporting the local community and getting a your money’s worth with the amount of produce you receive weekly. .
Supporting CSAs benefits the farmer by guaranteeing them that they will have a market for their produce. It also allows farmers to purchase any and all materials needed at the beginning of the season. Lastly, it allows farmers to build relationships within the community.
The community benefits from CSAs primarily by keeping the money local, and it allows the community to build relationships with the farmers.
Getting Involved
Getting involved with a CSA is easy, but the consumer must keep in mind that there is a large chunk of cash being put into something at one time.
The benefits of that investment will not be immediately seen.
“We give members a weekly newsletter with recipes and helpful hints for using or storing produce.” Carlson said. “We also offer extra produce, access to honey, local eggs, and cut flowers at our farm stand, as well as hold a CSA member appreciation party each season.”
Adobe House Farm, a Durango CSA, says on their website that this year they hope to get their customers on their farm each week which “will allow you free access to u-pick sections of the 2-acre plot for those of you that would like a bigger harvest of specific crops. We will also have u-pick flowers for you to take home!”
Each CSA has an application process to invest in a CSA that you can find online with majority of the farms.
Durango currently has about eight active CSAs.
There are varieties of plans offered by each CSA that a customer can sign up for, all varying in prices and duration.
Most CSAs require the customer to pick up their produce each week from a pick up location but it is possible to find a CSA that will deliver for convenience.