American University will participate in a Community Supported Agriculture program this summer. Students and faculty who sign up for the program will receive fresh produce for 20 weeks from May to October. A share costs $500. Thirty people need to participate in the program for it to run.
"I'd love to get CSA started," Environmental Coordinator Riley Neugebaurer said. "I think it's a good way to build community around food issues and it's hard to get good produce in the stores around here."
Community Supported Agriculture is "mutual support and commitment" between local farmers and community members. They pay an annual membership fee that covers the farm's production costs. Members receive a share of the harvest weekly, during growing season, said Allan Balliett, the Fresh and Local Community Supported Agriculture farmer who will be exchanging with AU.
Balliett said he is excited people at AU are interested in organic food and happy to produce food of the "highest purity and nutritional value."
Members of the Community Supported Agriculture program own a share of the farm, Balliett said. They then receive a portion of food that is ripe and ready to transport.
Another positive about locally produced organic produce is that its not the same as organic produce transported over long distances is that there is not cost to the environment because there is not transportation cost, according to the National Community Supported Agriculture webpage, www.csacenter.org.
"With Agriculture the largest polluter in the U.S. and with U.S. food recently rated as having a food value 60% lower than it had at the beginning of the previous century, it is important that those who eat food join with those who produce food to create a food system that actually husbands the land and actually feeds those who partake of that food," Balliett said.
Balliett said an economically driven food system will "cut corners" where ever possible to increase profitability. "This leads to poor stewardship of the land and it's diversity, to the use of toxic chemicals, to genetic modifications and to food of low taste and quality," Balliett said.
"One hopes that the current urban awareness of the responsibility of those who eat to work with those who produce in order to retain quality in the food system and on their own tables will eventually be picked up in the minds and hearts of those who live in the far suburbs so that one day all that we produce will be picked up at our farm gate," Balliett said. "In the meantime, I'm resigned to appreciatively delivering produce to our supporters in Washington DC."
Since this is the first year AU will participate in Community Supported Agriculture, the program is focused on recruiting people who will be staying in the area over the summer. If the program works well, it may offer part shares in future years, Neugebaurer said. A part share will deliver fresh produce for six weeks in September and October.
Neugebauer participated in CSA when she was an undergrad at Penn State.
"I would love to see this grow so we could include more farmers and more part share programs-that's more affordable to students," Neugebaurer said.
Eric Ratner, Resident Director of Hughes and McDowell Halls, and Rosie Perez, Area Director of the North Side of Campus, bought a share together so they will split the share and the cost.
Perez participated in a similar program in the past and had a positive experience, Ratner said.
"I was intrigued by the opportunity to have fresh food brought directly to campus," Ratner said. "...I'm trying to eat healthier, and this will almost force me to 'eat my vegetables.'"
More information and the list of vegetables and fruit can be found at www.freshandlocalcsa.com.
WHY LOCAL ORGANIC FOOD?
1. Organic Products Meet Stringent Standards - Organic certification is the public's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without the use of persistent and toxic chemicals.
2. Organic Food Tastes Great! - It's common sense-well-balanced soils grow strong healthy plants that taste great!
3. Organic Production Reduces Health Risks - Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us.
4. Organic Farms Respect Our Water Resources - The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen-leaching fertilizers, done in combination with organic soil building practices, protects our water resources.
5. Organic Farmers Build Soil - Soil is the foundation of the food chain. The organic farmer helps counteract topsoil erosion that has been linked to the agriculture practice of chemical-intensive, mono-crop farming.
6. Organic Farmers Work in Harmony with Nature - Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas.
7. Organic Growers are Leaders in Innovative Research - Organic Farmers have led the way with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing the impact agriculture has on the environment.
8. Organic Producers Strive to Preserve Diversity - The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is an important environmental concern. The good news is that organic growers have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.
9. Organic Farming Helps Keep Rural Communities Healthy - The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 1997, half of U.S. farm production came from only 2% of farms. Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because it offers an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops.
10. Organic Abundance - Foods and Non-Foods Alike! - Now every food category has an organic alternative. And non-food crops such as flowers are being grown organically-even cotton, which most experts felt could never be.
-diamondorganics.org
