BDNow 034 Elizabeth Henderson and Steven Macfadden: The CSA Charter

Biodynamics Now! Investigative Farming and Restorative Nutrition Podcast

Welcome episode 34 of the Biodynmiacs Now! Investigative Farming and Restorative Nutrition podcast. Your host is Allan Balliett

Our program today is a discussion among 3 long time activist supporters of the Community SUpported agriculture Movemen about the CSA Charter that was adapted this year. The participans are Elizabeth Henderson, a CSA farmer since 1989, author of Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture author of the CSA Chapter we are discussing today, and frequent speaker on agricultural community at sustainable ag conferences world wide AND Steven McFadden, long time advocate for CSAs and sustainable life style and autthor, with Trauger Groh of Farms of Tomorrow Revisited: Community-Supported Farms – Farm Supported Communities, a primary text of the CSA movement.

The first CSA farm in the US started in New England in 1986 the concept, basic to the local food movement and the grassroots organic food movement spread rapidly. Today, there are over 7000 CSA in the US. Unfortunately, CSA in the US is in something of a crises because marketing savey entrepenuers have recently established numerous non -local, non wholesome non-quality food distrubution schemes have pushed real CSAs out of the very market they created. The CSA charter is an affirmation of the strong practical values of the genuine CSA movement, the features that separate real community farming from those who look to in apporpriate profit from consumers trust and confusion..

The show notes for today's conversation are at bdnow.org

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We join a conversation that's already in progress. It's Allan Balliett's voice you will hear first.