Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) perfectly embodies the Slow Food concept of co-producer, by formalizing an economic relationship between farmer and consumer. Sometimes known as “subscription farming”, a CSA has the consumer becoming partners with a farmer by paying upfront, in the springtime, for an entire season’s worth of product.

Thus the farmer receives needed cash flow at the beginning of the season before fields and pastures are yielding any income, but when money is nevertheless required for seed, poults, equipment, and other supplies. In exchange, the consumer is guaranteed a weekly “market basket” of fruits, vegetables, and/or meats chosen by the farmer for their freshness and seasonality.

A CSA is a true investment partnership. The consumer owns a share of the farm’s future yield, and also shares in any of the risks- drought, flood, hail, wind- that can affect any agricultural enterprise. But by establishing this link, it ensures the distance between field and plate is as short as possible, and reinforces the connection between a local farmer’s hard work and delicious, real food that gives pleasure to you and your family

CSAs vary in product, price, size of share, and duration, but they all serve to forge the bond between farmer and consumer– not just economically, but socially and culturally. We link to a site below that maintains up-to-date information on CSAs in the Chicago area:

The Local Beet, 2010 CSA Guide
2010 CSAs by delivery and pickup location

And a (slightly dated) map of the range of delivery and drop-off sites of a few CSAs can be viewed on the Family Farmed site here.