Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has emerged as a direct farm marketing channel during the past 25 years. During the past decade, increased consumer interest in local food has contributed to an increasing and variety of CSA operations (Woods, Ernst, Ernst & Wright, 2009).

According to USDA, a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation. Growers and consumers partner together to share the risks and benefits of food production.

Resources for Producers & Community Leaders

CSA Information from USDA - National Agriculture Library

Community Supported Agriculture - Fact sheet from University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension.

Producer & Member Surveys - AgMRC (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center)

CSA information from ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

CSA information from SARE - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

Reference List - Michigan State University Extension (2001)

Robyn Van En Center CSA Farm Database- Wilson College

Research Brief - Results from Iowa's Collaborative CSA Member Survey

Community Supported Agriculture - CommUnity of Minds

CSA: A Secure Market, A Local Food Supply - ATTRA News, May-June 2006

CSA: Building Community Among Farmers and Non-Farmers - Journal of Extension

History of Community Supported Agriculture - Adapted from Sharing the Harvest: A Guide to CSA, by Margaret Henderson and Robyn Van En. Chelsea, Green Publishing Co., 1999

YouTube Videos about CSAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__GwcERiDU (Central Ohio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmF2JQnVTtw (Cleveland Ohio – City Fresh)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X6lmagjig4 (Michigan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUBf_a3EtQU (Food Network Feature)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYhM2c8PmM&NR=1 (Texas)

Resources for Educators & Researchers

CSA Survey Report - A summary of a mail survey of farms operating forms of Community Supported Agriculture in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia: distributed Summer 2009 July 2009.

The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development recently received a one-year grant to study collaborative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Iowa.