What Can the CSA Innovation Network Do for Your Farm? Part 1: Make your CSA Program More Accessible
CSA farmers don’t have to go it alone. The CSA Innovation Network is a nationwide collective of advocacy groups, farmers, universities, marketers, and other partners supporting CSA programs of all kinds. The network helps growers learn from each other though webinars, toolkits, and idea-sharing spaces. Their resources help farmers stay informed about what might work—and what might not—for their farms and customer bases.
Food Access Means Broadening Your Customer Base
While CSA farms seek broader audiences, equitable food access remains a challenge nationwide. The CSA Innovation Network identifies opportunities for CSA farmers to address both needs at once. Sadie Willis, the Network Manager for CSA-IN partner FairShare CSA Coalition, highlights payment innovations as key to CSA access: “There are lots of CSA farms offering sliding scale, split payment, or "pay what you can" options...the CSA Innovation Network has helped to get the word out.”
Willis also identifies food-is-medicine initiatives as an emerging way to reach new CSA customers. For example, farms may market non-veggie products to customers wanting to address their dietary needs more completely. Willis says, “We have connected with the Good Meat Project, the Local Catch Network (community-supported fisheries), plus various grain and bean share programs to investigate how we can holistically bolster folks' access to not just fresh veggies, but staples like whole grains and proteins... Our overarching goal is to activate easier access to whole, healthy, fresh foods for everyone—directly from growers with whom they can form a relationship.”
Food Access Resources from the CSA Innovation Network
The CSA Innovation Network’s full list of access-related resources can be found here. Topics include:
- Accepting SNAP/EBT payments for your CSA
- Alternative payment schedules and methods
- Connecting CSA to the emergency food supply, low-income populations, and seniors
- Reducing barriers related to cost, transportation, language, and culture
To join the conversation about equitable food access on CSA farms, join one of the discussion groups available on the CSA Innovation Network’s website.
Don’t Miss This Upcoming CSA Innovation Network Event
Bringing SNAP Online as a CSA Farm, 9/29, 1:00 PM -2:30 PM CDT, via Zoom
To discuss possible CSA innovations on your farm, contact Annie Scott, CCD Extension Associate, at annie.scott@uky.edu.