Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between farmers and consumers in which the responsibilities, risks and rewards of farming are shared.

CSA helps to address increasing concerns about the lack of transparency, sustainability and resilience of our food system. It is one of the most radical ways that we can re-take control and ownership of our food system.

A CSA means that the community shares the risk of the growing with the grower, and the community is able to support the grower by paying him/her. The monthly income from the members also pays for the ‘inputs’ (cost of renting the land, seeds, tools, insurance, help and advice from elsewhere, etc).

Farmers receive a more stable and secure income and closer connection with their community, and consumers benefit by eating fresh healthy local food, feeling more connected to the land where their food is grown and learning new skills.

In our case the community formed a steering group which takes decisions about the running of the business and the sorts of things that are grown, and those decisions are informed by the views of the members who come together regularly to socialise as well as talk about the sorts of veg they would like to eat, how they would like the farm run, and so on.

We are very fortunate here at Five Acre Community Farm, as we have had support from Garden Organic, Coventry University (on whose land the food is grown); South Warwickshire Local Food (a community interest company under whose umbrella we run); and Canalside Community Food (an established community supported agriculture scheme near Leamington Spa).

We are also keen to make connections with other similar schemes locally and nationally so if you know any other schemes we would happily make contact and explore ways of working together.