Motivations of Participants in Urban Community Supported Agriculture

Why do consumers buy their food from their farmer down the road instead of at the grocery store? Why do local producers sell their food in small markets? This book takes a detailed look at the motivations of both consumers and producers of small-scale agriculture systems in the metropolitan area of Denver, Colorado. Within the city limits exists organic farms that use the community supported agriculture system (CSA) to market their food. Consumers purchase their "share" of the CSA and receive a predetermined allotment of food each week during the growing season. Sometimes the consumer is required to go to the farm to pick up their weekly share; sometimes they collect it from the farmers market. Each consumer has unique reasons for participation in their local food system. Farmers have their own unique models of growing food; from utilizing a collection of backyards, to forming a non-profit organization that leases land, to growing intense, high density crops on small properties. Each farmer has their own reasons for their production model. Together, they represent a cycle of local food production that depends on interpersonal relationships and healthy communities.