Community Supported Agriculture is a membership farming scheme. Members of the farm commit to buying a share of the farm’s harvest for a whole growing season. This approach allows the farm to invest in the year ahead knowing that is has the support to continue and that the produce will all be eaten as we can grow to meet the demand. This system is very beneficial for the farm. It allows the growers to concentrate on what they love – growing food – rather than worry about marketing, processing, branding etc. This time can then be spent ensuring that the growing is as ecological and sustainable as possible – ensuring no artificial inputs are used and that most work is done using human labour rather than machinery.
What kind of CSA is School Farm?
School Farm is a grower-led CSA. This means professional growers manage all of the vegetable production informed by the members input on desired crops etc.
What do members get?
As a community supported market garden, our hope is that our members feel connected to where their food is coming from and how it is produced. Our members accept that they are sharing in the risks as well as the rewards of School Farm CSA. A good year provides everyone with a bountiful harvest, but members accept that a bad year also means less for everybody. Members get more than just vegetables from the farm – they get a connection with the food production itself, they know how things are growing and how the weather is affecting them, they learn what is truly seasonal in South Devon, and they deepen their understanding of the costs of food production, economically, socially and environmentally. Members also learn to recognize that their subscription is being kept entirely within the local economy. They are supporting growers to live in the community and the money they spend is not filtered off in marketing, transport, or packaging but only invested in the future of the farm.