8B - Community Supported Agriculture

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2 UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS The USDA,in its"MyPlate"dietary through direct consumer marketing channels reached $1.2 billion in 2007. guidelines,recommends that Americans The demand for local food has been driven by eat significantly more fruits and consumers who wish to support local farms and other vegetables;in many regions,local businesses,to purchase healthful food that is fresh and tends to be sustainably produced, to interact with farmers could grow a substantial farmers, and to learn more about the food they grow portion of this additional produce. and that consumers eat.The enthusiasm for local and regional foods has also arisen,at least in part,as a back- lash against the deficiencies of our consolidated food production,processing, and distribution system. shopping venues in many cities and towns. Schools, Local and regional food-product sales often occur restaurants,supermarkets,and other mainstream insti- through direct marketing channels. For example, a tutions are also buying food from local farmers. As a farmer could sell food products either directly to a result,innovative farmers are able to develop and expand consumer, such as at a farmers market, at a roadside businesses that generate income in rural communities. stand,or through a CSA;or directly to a retail institu- Most of these markets were independently conceived tion, such as a restaurant, grocery store, or school. as grassroots initiatives,and as such each of them con- Farmers who sell their food through direct marketing tributes uniquely to its community.These achievements channels tend to operate smaller farms with a variety have been particularly remarkable in that they have of products, such as fruits and vegetables; engage in been mostly self-sufficient—realized without the gov- entrepreneurial activities;and follow environmentally ernment subsidies that the increasingly consolidated sustainable production practices.These farmers can of- mainstream food system receives. ten earn greater profits by selling their products through This report shows that local and regional food sys- local food systems than by selling them to a wholesaler tems could expand further,with the potential for cre- in the consolidated food system. In addition, the op- ating tens of thousands of jobs in rural communities— portunity to interact with consumers provides these many of which are struggling economically—and farmers with firsthand information on the demand in urban communities as well. For example, the U.S. for their products. Department of Agriculture(USDA), in its"MyPlate" dietary guidelines, recommends that Americans eat 2.The economic,environmental,and significantly more fruits and vegetables; in many re- health impacts of local and regional food gions, local farmers could grow a substantial portion systems depend on how consumers' of this additional produce in peak growing season.Re- purchasing decisions are altered. gional food systems could also increase market access There are a multitude of reasons for seeking local and for regional meat and dairy producers,thereby helping regional alternatives to the current consolidated U.S. to foster competition in markets that have experienced food system. For one thing, that system accounts for significant consolidation in recent decades.Overall,the 16 percent of the country's energy use and is a signifi- expansion of local and regional food systems could cant contributor to climate change. For another, the complement the nation's existing mechanisms for food overconsumption of unhealthful processed foods con- production, distribution, and consumption. Greater tributes to Americans' increased rates of weight gain investment in local and regional food systems would and obesity, which have considerable health conse- thus be an essential step for agriculture policies that quences and large associated societal costs. seek to support such economic activity. Fresh fruits and vegetables are particularly well suited Among the report's major findings are: to distribution through direct marketing because they are mostly unprocessed.Communities could see health 1.Local and regional food systems are an benefits if patrons of local-food markets consequently expanding part of our food system. ate more of these healthful but underconsumed items. Local and regional food-product markets have grown There could also be environmental benefits from re- rapidly in recent years and have become entrenched. duced energy usage if diets shifted to eating unprocessed The number of farmers markets in the United States food as a substitute for heavily processed foods. increased from just 340 in 1970 to more than 7,000 While more research is needed to demonstrate how today,and there are now more than 4,000 CSAs.The consumers'shopping behavior may be altered as a result USDA reports that the sales of agricultural products of buying foods produced nearby, available evidence