8B - Community Supported Agriculture

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MARKET FORCES 1 Executive Summary z . r. m �x. 4 b 3 = f � i 0 O Y .: .. in m A F When strolling through a local farmers market you may surprising data on their potential to create jobs in those well be struck by the many ways in which the food communities. Finally,the report addresses some chal- offered for sale differs from typical mass-produced and lenges that local and regional food systems must meet -marketed food products. For starters, healthful pro- if they are to grow further, and it recommends public duce items dominate the farmers market,and they are policies that could help promote and expand these typically fresher and more flavorful than supermarket systems in the future. produce. Moreover,the presence of the farmers puts a face on who grew the food and reflects where and how THE RISE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL it was grown. FOOD SYSTEMS Less apparent to the casual shopper, however, are Markets for locally and regionally produced food are the important economic benefits that farmers mar- now ubiquitous across the United States.Most of them kets—and the local and regional food systems behind emerged over the last several decades through the tire- them—can provide to rural and urban communities less efforts of entrepreneurs, community organizers, alike.In this report,the Union of Concerned Scientists farmers, and food and farm policy advocates. In par- (UCS) explores the recent remarkable growth of ticular, farmers markets and community-supported farmers markets and other manifestations of local and agriculture systems (CSAs)—in which consumers regional food systems, describes key features of these buy shares of local farm harvests in advance and then systems, evaluates their economic and other impacts routinely reap the benefits in the form of fresh food— on the communities in which they operate,and offers have expanded rapidly and are now established as family- Conservative estimates by the U.S.Department of Agriculture(USDA) suggest that more than 136,000 farms are currently selling food products directly to consumers.