We hear from Maresa Bossano about the CSA Open Day events promising fun, friendship and the opportunity to learn about your local community farm this autumn.
Community supported farms across the country are celebrating their autumn harvests with special events in September and October 2018. It’s a chance for the whole family to find out more about community supported agriculture (CSA), where the risks and rewards of farming are shared between farmers and members of the community.
Many CSAs are experiencing a bumper harvest despite this year’s extreme weather conditions, so their members are enjoying gluts of tomatoes, courgettes and sweetcorn. If you join your local CSA farm you can help fight the war on waste, as you’ll use less plastic and eat more wonky veg.
Some of the events this year include harvest meals, farm tours, apple pressing, animal feeding, potato digging, squash harvesting, children’s games, as well as music and other entertainment, tea and cake, and lots more.
Coming up this very weekend on Saturday 15th September are…
- Sutton Community Farm’s Harvest Festival, Wallington, South London
- A tour and more of Steepholding CSA at the Greenham Reach Open Day, Wellington, Devon
- Sims Hill Shared Harvest Feast, Frenchay, Bristol
- Norwich Farmshare Open Day, Whitlingham, Norfolk
- Exeter Growers Co-operative Open Day, Shillingford St George, Devon
- Cae Tân Harvest Party, Gower, Wales
For more details of all events planned see our full events listings.
Community supported agriculture is a radical approach to the production and supply of food that builds strong, close and mutually beneficial partnerships between communities and producers. The most common produce for CSA farms is vegetables, but they can also include fruit, eggs, meat, dairy produce, bread and honey. 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.
What is the CSA Network UK?
We are the only organisation working solely to promote Community Supported Agriculture across the UK. We are a co-operative that brings together CSA farms to connect, exchange their skills and knowledge, and promote a fairer model of food production.
What do we do?
- We provide a network to facilitate communication and co-operation between CSAs in the UK
- We support new and existing CSAs through the provision of resources, events, training and advice
- We raise awareness and understanding of the CSA model amongst farmers, growers, and the wider public
- We represent the interests of the UK CSA movement to government and other policy makers
For more information visit the CSA website or contact Maresa Bossano via telephone on 07975 829706 or email at [email protected]. You can follow the CSA Network on Twitter @CSANetwork and find them here on Facebook.
You can also learn more about Community Supported Agriculture in our dedicated topic introduction here.
