Top 10 reasons to join a local CSA this year
What is a CSA?
If you aren't familiar with what a CSA is, it stands for "Community Supported Agriculture." Your local CSA is a direct connection between farmer and consumer where you purchase a "share" of the farm. Usually seen with vegetable growers, customers pick up their share of the harvest weekly, and the farmer uses the up-front share money to grow for the season. At Sugar Hill Farmstead, we use this model for meat! We only ask for a month in advance payment, which makes our CSA customers part owners of the animal.
There's a lot of reasons why you should join a CSA, be it a vegetable or meat CSA…or both!
Here are my top 10 reasons to join a local CSA this year
1. Getting to know your farmer– When you see and get to know the person who grows your food, you appreciate it more and waste less. Getting to know your local farmer or rancher can challenge your perspective and give you a different view on where your food comes from. And, joining a local CSA helps develop a relationship of trust with those that feed your family.
2. Access to healthy, locally grown food– 90% of the food on Hawaii Island is imported, and finding a trusted source of local products, especially meat, can be challenging. A CSA removes that guesswork by giving you access to local produce and meat without having to run to the grocery store!
3. Most of your food traveled minimally to get to you– If you're in Hilo and belong to the Sugar Hill Farmstead meat CSA, your meat traveled 11 miles to get to you. Supporting a local CSA means less transport time for your food- decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, your food is healthier, and it is harvested at peak ripeness.
4. Opportunity to try new things– Get out of your comfort zone a little! We encourage nose-to-tail eating and will help you break free from the food rut you've been stuck in, at your own pace, of course. Joining a local CSA gives you more variety than your typical grocery store selection- without overwhelming you with too many choices.
5. Being a part of a community– CSA's often have events like open farm days, special harvest days, or dinners where members can get together. When you join a local CSA, you're part of a unique tribe of people who share the same values.
6. Supporting local business– Money spent in the community through a local CSA stays in the community. Small and medium-sized farms are disappearing across the US and in Hawaii. When you purchase a CSA from a local farmer, the money remains on island. Strengthening Hawaii farmers strengthens the community.
7. Building sustainability and resiliency– When you join a local CSA this year, you're taking a stand to support sustainability in your community and your home. What would you do if the ships stopped coming, or the trucks stopped delivering to the grocery store? Your farmer will still be farming, and if you belong to the CSA, you'll be able to put food on the table.
8. Local job creation– For every farm, there are at least five support positions at any given time. When you belong to a CSA, your money helps pay for those jobs. From farm management, marketing, picking, delivery of the CSA– there are lots of local jobs to be created from just one farm.
9. Improving the environment– Your local CSA is helping reduce greenhouse gasses by limiting travel times between harvest and home, decreasing groundwater contamination, and helping regenerate soil! Yup, you're taking on Big Ag by shifting your money to joining the CSA of environmentally friendly local farmers. The Sugar Hill Farmstead meat CSA promotes regenerative agriculture through rotational grazing and holistic land management which actually heals land reversing climate change. Who knew you could do so much by supporting your local CSA this year!
10. Members first mentality– When you belong to a local CSA, the farmer or rancher wants to please YOU. When was the last time you walked into a grocery store and felt that you were the #1 priority? You aren't being sold with flashy packaging and claims on the front of a box. Your local farmer wants you to have the most flavorful and nutritious meal for you and your family.
That's it for my top 10 reasons to join a local CSA this year. We hope you'll make 2020 the year you choose to support local farmers and ranchers, the health of yourself and your family, as well as the community.