Community Supported Agriculture – William Waterfield (Andover)

On a recent visit to the FarmED Centre, I was pleased to discover that a 5-acre plot of vegetables was providing a living for two couples.  How much land do you need to a make a living?  Or how many customers does it take to support a vegetable growing enterprise?

Classically CSA businesses have relied on a number of members who are prepared to subscribe to a weekly box of vegetables at a known price.  Often the members will employ the grower.  The CSA at FarmED was fully subscribed with about 150 members each paying around £10.00 per week for their vegetable box and this was able to support the two growers. 

CSA are often thought of being only relevant to organic systems, but this is not always the case.  Members often being as interested in the provenance of the crops or the thought of a regular supply of differing vegetables. 

With the growing interest in local food, it would seem that many communities would like to be able to support a CSA grower, but available land has often been perceived as the problem.  For many land-owners, an investment of five acres into an FBT might be a good exercise in community engagement. 

Interested in CSA, contact William Waterfield at w.waterfield@fcgagric.com