Community Supported Agriculture
Mar 24th, 2010 by SFU Local Food Project
C.S.A. stands for Community Supported Agriculture. CSA’s are a commitment between a farm and a community of supporters. Supports pay up for their share of the harvest at the beginning of the season, so farmers have a source of income at their time of highest expenses. The farm provides the supporters with fresh high quality produce throughout the season, usually in a weekly box.
Vegetables
Nathan Creek Organic Farm
Location: 9 distribution stops throughout Abbotsford and Metro Vancouver
Contact: website; Stephen Gallagher @ stephen@nathancreek.ca or (604)628-9544
Nathan Creek CSA has been operating for 12 years, offering 20 weeks of vegetables each year. Now located in Langley, the farm invites all members to visit the farm and participate in farm celebrations as well as farm work. The last 2 years we have provided 120 shares. We make distributions on two different days each week and are always ready to add new distribution sites when groups of 5 or more people join and identify a suitable host location.
Richmond Urban Farmers
Location: Richmond
Contact: blogspot; website
Running from July-October with produce grown in gardens around Richmond. This is a collaboration between Arzeena, Luc and Susan, who are growing food using organic methods in other people’s back yards.
Glorious Organics at Fraser Common Farm
Location: Aldergrove
Contact: website; David Catzel @ davidcatzel@gmail.com; gloriousorganics@gmail.comor (604)857-9057
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) fosters a partnership between consumers (those who eat), and producers (those who grow food). CSA members purchase a share of the crop at the beginning of the season and receive 20 seasonal boxes of food (1box/week) in return. The CSA season is somewhat dependant on the year, but will run for 20 weeks, beginning sometime in June and ending sometime in October.
Now accepting subscribers for 2012 season. Drop-off locations are determined by the location of our CSA members. Locations in 2011 were: in Vancouver; on Main Street, Commercial and in Kitsilano,in New Westminster, at the Langley farmers Market, and on the farm. Certified Organic.
Klippers Organics- New in 2009!
Location: Farm in Similkameen Valley. Pick-up in Vancouver
Contact:website; klippersorganics@nethop.net or (250)499-2050
Klippers Organics strive on growing healthy food using organic methods and raising happy pastured animals. Produce sold mostly at farmers markets and restaurants throughout the Vancouver area.
20 weeks of freshness when you buy a Summer Share! Egg Shares also available.
Glen Valley CSA shares- delivered via NOWBC
Contact: glenvalley@nowbc.ca
http://www.nowbc.ca/partnerships/glen-valley-harvest-box/
Southlands Farm / Yummy Yards CSA
Location: Vancouver
Contact: website
(Emi and Kate are amazing gals, taking over for Jordan this season in Southlands – we signed up for Jordan’s CSA last season and it was a great way to supplement our garden veggies).
http://southlandsfarms.farming.officelive.com/CSA.aspx
http://yummyyards.wordpress.com/
City Farm Girls
Contact: website
Farm Fresh Eggs – weekly, pick up at 43rd Blenheim. Ann, Julia and Susan are also amazing and have started their chicken farm 8km from Dunbar, just over the bridge in Richmond – Julia is also actively building her urban farm lot at 43rd Blenheim and will be selling at Farmers Markets // Julia and Ann are active members of our Dunbar Transition Village: http://www.villagevancouver.ca/group/dunbarneighbourhoodtransition)
Kitsilano Farms - CSA (Craig Heighway)
Contact: website
We have created an urban farm in the heart of Vancouver by piecing together a collection of backyard gardens around the Kitsilano neighbourhood and other parts of the west side. The people who own these properties have provided us with the space to grow organic produce that we can take to market.
City Farm Boy – CSA (Ward Teulon)
Contact: website; Ward Teulon @ wteulon@gmail.com or (604)812-7848
City Farm Boy designs and builds urban vegetable gardens that make growing your own premium quality food easy and enjoyable. Our premium soils and fertilizers
ensure a healthy vegetable crop.
UBC Farm – CSA/Market
Contact: website; farm.team@ubc.ca or (604)822-5092
The UBC Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program provides members of the campus and broader community with a weekly box of fresh, organic produce from the UBC Farm. The UBC Farm is not yet taking applications for the 2012 season but please refer to the 2011 CSA Program Details to get a sense of how the program works. Information about next year’s CSA will be posted in spring of 2012.
Farmers On 57th CSA
Contact: website
Farmers on 57th is a new agricultural project in central Vancouver at George Pearson Centre. Pearson is located just west of Cambie on 57th Avenue, is part of Vancouver Coastal Health, and is home to 120 residents living with physical disabilities. In 2009, the Farmers on 57th transformed about one acre of Pearson’s 45 acres into community integrated gardens.
Fresh Roots is an urbanized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project in East Vancouver. We are committed to creating access to local, healthy, organically grown food in East Vancouver. By utilizing community backyards, we nurture future farmers to sow the seeds of a sustainable urban food system.
www.freshroots.ca | 778-862-FARM (3276)
NOWBC – Neighbours Organic Weekly Co-op
Delivery depots all over the city, weekly online orders (like SPUD but neighbourhood depots, no minimum order, and of course, it’s a co-op largely run by volunteers!)
Fish
Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery
Location: Vancouver
Contact: wildbcsalmon@gmail.com
2011 will be our 42nd year of commercial salmon fishing and the 3rd year of our Community Supported Fishery. The first of its kind in British Columbia, we are proud to provide the freshest and highest quality fisherman-direct salmon availlable, and a fair price for all. Your membership helps ensure that our family can continue its fishing livelihood for another season in the face of big corporate Seine fishing, fish farms, and rising fuel prices.
Fruit
Al Tinka’s Orchard CSA
Contact: website; Al Tinka @ tinkaorchard@gmail.com
Welcome to Vancouver’s first orchard-fruit CSA!
Tinka Orchard CSA supports the farm of Al Tinka in the Okanagan and ensures that he receives a fair price for his delicious orchard fruit, allowing him to continue to farm his heirloom fruit trees in the natural, sustainable way he always has.
There are a total of 20 shares available, each consisting of 120lbs of a variety of plums, pears, and apples. The fruit is available at 3 pick-up dates in late summer and early fall. All the fruit is grown by Al Tinka, in Summerland, BC. The CSA is coordinated by Sonia Strobel and Allison Bennett in Vancouver.
Grains
Urban Grains – A Vancouver Grain CSA
Contact: website
Urban Grains is a community supported agriculture program based in Vancouver, B.C. Our first year of operation (2009) is a pilot project aimed at demonstrating new possibilities for local eating by providing Vancouver residents with access to grain grown locally in Agassiz, B.C.
Honey
Honey CSA with the Blessed Bee Farm
Contact: Brian @ blessedbeefarm.1(at)gmail(dot)com or (778)554-6421
Blessed Bee Farm is a new local Honey CSA (Community Supported Apiculture) located in the Lower Mainland. It is a partnership of mutual commitment in the future of honeybees among the beekeeper, the apiary’s community of supporters, and the bees. A share supports the apiary and our local bee populations in their pollination work throughout the growing season, and in return, shareholders receive a healthy supply of honey and hive products. To participate, contact Brian at 778-554-6421 or blessedbeefarm.1(at)gmail(dot)com
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Know of more CSAs we should list here? Email us at info@sfulocalfood.ca!
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