Th participation of both farmers and consumers in alternative
food networks has grown tremendously. Ten years aftr the fist
CSAs began operating in Massachusetts, there were an estimated 450
CSAs operating in the United States [13]. In the next decade, the
number nearly quadrupled to 1,700 [14], and in the decade since, the
number of CSAs has nearly quadrupled again. “Local Harvest”, an
on-line CSA locator, currently lists more than 6,000 operations in the
US, with several in each state [15]. Th popularity of CSAs mirrors
the growth in farmers’ markets, which have increased in number from
1,755 in 1994 to 8,144 in 2013 [16]. Expansion of farmers’ markets
and CSAs are strong indicators of public interest in locally grown,
organic, and healthful food