Hi there, I am considering starting a CSA and have access to approx. 2 acres of good land to use. While I'm not new to gardening, I've never tried to do production on a level beyond feeding my family. Would 2 acres be enough space to start a CSA? I understand there are variables, but I am thinking about trying to feed about 20-30 families on a weekly basis. Any thoughts? Thanks
Hi Saw Scale, you may be interested in taking a look at one of a few local programs that teach sustainable agriculture. One that I know of is the Richmond Farm School, a program affiliated with Kwantlen University College here in Richmond. They have a farm business planning class that is running this fall that may be helpful, and it seems you can register for one class instead of taking the whole program: http://www.kwantlen.ca/science/agriculture/RFS/schedule.html Sorry I'm of no direct help, but maybe this link will be useful! Also, others on the forum may be more familiar with similar courses/programs that could be of interest!
"CSA"?? If you want to provide enough food for 100% of the 20-30 families' food requirements, you'll need far more land than that, maybe 100 hectares or so.
Community Supported Agriculture. You will find more info on the Net. I assume you are talking about fruit and vegetables production (no meat), during the season. If so, then, theoretically – yes, it is possible. My edible garden is 1/25 of an acre and supplies almost all fruit and vegetables I need, not only in the season but all year long (frozen, preserved). So, yes, it is possible to supply for 20-30 families from two acres during the season. Practically, it depends on your agricultural skills, experience, and your resources, like water or manpower. I would recommend to contact some people who are already doing that, here are url's of three CSA's in the area where I live. Very likely they will be willing to answer questions you may have. Two of them, unfortunately, are in the area of the recent environmental disaster in the Slocan Valley (Lemon Creek oil spill), so they may be in temporary difficulties. http://www.maddogfarm.ca/cas.html http://ravinecreek.wordpress.com/csa/ http://crookedhornfarm.ca/?page_id=9 Good luck with your project!
Hmm... .04 acres is an order of magnitude difference from this infographic, which cites .44 acres/person/year on a vegetarian diet. I suppose the infographic is assuming all calories come from the backyard whereas your scenario is restricted to calories from fruits and vegetables?
Thanks for the responses, Yes, I was only thinking about veggies, and maybe some non tree fruits. I am not a novice gardener (a few decades of experience), but am no means an expert. I'm able to produce most of the veggies my family requires in our backyard, and thought this (the 2 acres) might be a chance to expand on doing something I enjoy. I do belong to a CSA as well, but thought I might ask the question here before going forward with asking my CSA person. Thanks again for taking the time to read this and respond. Saw Scale
You can definitely earn an income from 2 acres, intensively cultivated, under a CSA type box delivery format. I have friends who earn a decent income for a portion of the year doing it on about an acre and a half. Most people who get some sort of produce box delivered don't live off of it's contents alone, but instead use it to supplement/supplant their usual veggie/fruit purchases from the supermarket. So you needn't get caught up in optimal daily calories, etc...It's all about what you grow, both in terms of diversity/novelty and productivity/harvest timing, so you can provide a good selection of items throughout the growing season. If you can crank out a bunch of preserved items (jams, pickles, etc.) with the late season surplus, you can use it to supplement the early and late season boxes next year, when it seems to be a lot of kale, mustard, and peas. It's hard work, though, and uber-competitive in your area: lots of larger, more established/experienced farmers in the valley already well underway. Definitely possible, however. You might consider something fairly novel to get membership: you mentioned non tree fruit, maybe add some dwarf tree fruits as well and go heavy on perennial fruit (various berries, small tree fruits, etc--you can work a lot of tree/shrub fruits into a perimeter hedgerow) and lesser on the veg: it would be less work as it gets established, and would offer up a different sort of CSA which might be in demand in the city. I'd imagine an organic, local fruit box would get members in a hurry....would have to live with a couple or more start up seasons with comparatively less to offer, however, before it gets really productive.
Over here, it means Child Support Agency ;-) But that's only a small part of your food, it doesn't include staples; you'll need a few hectares more to grow wheat for bread, etc., and (if truly organic with no reliance on fossil fuels) several hectares more of grassland to feed the horses/oxen needed for cultivation.
Thanks Woodschmoe for the comprehensive and thought provoking answer. I never really thought about standing out from the crowd, that is a very good point. I was hoping that the fact that I live in Burnaby would be enough. There are many CSA's in the fraser valley and the outlying areas of greater vancouver, but they seem to be tougher to find in the heart of the city. My CSA is in east van and doesn't do much for delivery, he mostly has the people come to him. In fact this was the only CSA in the city that I could find that I was able to comfortably get to. I just re-read your response, thought provoking indeed. Thanks again for the ideas!
