Community Supported Agriculture

"CSA generally is the practice of focusing on the production of high quality foods using ecological, organic or biodynamic farming methods. This kind of farming operates with a much greater-than-usual degree of involvement of consumers and other stakeholders—resulting in a stronger than usual consumer-producer relationship. The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund a whole season’s budget in order to get quality foods."
- Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture)

Community Supported Agriculture comes in many forms but can be categorised in three main types.

Community Owned Farm
A farm owned by the community and employ a farm manager to manage the farm. The community group takes responsibility for set-up and running costs of crop development, and participates in production under direction of a farm manager. This is the best opportunity to see the real cost of food production

Subscription Farm
The farmer owns the farm. Subscribers buy an annual share in the produce and contribute some labour to the running of the operation. A lump sum payment is made upfront for the years supply of food. This method allows for the grower to set up the garden and survive the initial period before full production is reached.

Relationship Marketing
The farm is wholly owned by the farmer who also does all the work. The farmer delivers the produce directly to committed families and restaurants.

These approaches can eliminate marketing risks and costs for the producer and save an enormous amount of time. It allows farmers to do what they should be doing and that is to focus on producing quality, healthy, safe, nutritious food.

How we do it

At Purple Pear Organics we practice the Relationship Marketing model of community supported agriculture.

On our property at Anambah, near Maitland, we have a mandala market garden and mixed farm. Community members commit to a weekly box of vegetables as seasonally available. The box price is fixed and the value fluctuates according to food available from the garden. Members pay weekly upon delivery of the box.

Delivery is made to a central point (Linuwel school in East Maitland), or can be picked up from the farm.

We decided early that the focus should be on every day food to fill basic family requirements. Exotic food can take the same effort to grow and give you higher returns, but good food is important and carrots, cabbage, and potatoes are needed each week by families.

We have faced drought, hail, storms and flooding and our subscribers face some of this risk with us through occasional lack of variety or volume.

Feed back is sought continually about content and variety and visits are always welcome.

Seasonal festivals also offer an opportunity for a get together and to do group activities in the garden.

We welcome all enquires regarding our produce and are only too happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact us.