EcoFarms CSA (a pseudonym) is a fi ve-year
cCSA led by three growers and nearly 30
member households. Members pick up their
share at one of the participating farms and can
supplement their vegetable share with orders
from a local livestock farmer. Decision-making
is an informal process through which producers
use end-of-the-season surveys from members to
verbally agree what to grow, who will grow it and
what the share price will be. Over the past fi ve
years, membership in the CSA has grown except
in the last growing season, when membership
dropped by 23 percent. EcoFarms CSA draws
its membership from a town of nearly 10,000
people, which is served by a socially progressive
private liberal arts college. The CSA was initiated
when interested local food system advocates
matched an enthusiasm for local foods and
commitment to community and environment
with a startup grant from the College’s Offi ce of
Social Commitment. Empowered by enthusiasm
and fi nancial resources, they organized, planned,
and recruited producers and members to join the
newly formed CSA