Sturdy Communities is starting a new Community Supported Agriculture initiative in Fauquier County, Virginia!

Sturdy Farm Share

Working to connect farmers and residents in low-income areas is what the Sturdy Farm Share will be working to create. After setting up this program, each season, half of the share members will fall within very low to moderate income ranges, as set forth by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. We are targeting distribution to members falling within these income levels. While there is initial work that needs to be put into growing relationships in these areas, the benefits reaped by both the share members and the farmers is incredibly worthwhile. Programs like Sturdy Farm Share help to lighten the load on the farmers by having a central contact for the members, allowing the farmers more time to grow their produce. However, farmers around the country are also successfully marketing shares and delivering to low-income areas on their own.

Sturdy Farm Share (SFS) is a modified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, born from a study done in 2012 by the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE) in Oneonta, NY, to determine the best way to increase access to good food in local food deserts. This study found that convenience and price were the top priorities for residents when it came to buying food, which SFS will be able to achieve. Every week of the growing season, Sturdy Farm Share will go directly into neighborhoods that lack fresh, healthy produce to distribute CSA shares from local farms. By accepting SNAP benefits and providing a 50% discount to income eligible members, residents can better afford this good food. This opens an untapped market for farmers, one that should be further explored as we move into the future.

The success of Sturdy Farm Share will rely heavily on the member education that we provide for our members. We have been able to create extensive member education materials that can be found on our website for use by any farm that may wish to use them.

Keeping in mind that many of our share members may be new to cooking with fresh vegetables, we create easy-to-follow recipes using ingredients that most members have on hand. This makes recipes accessible both to members who might be facing economic hardships, but also to members who are new to using a CSA as their source of produce for the week. Showing members how the produce they receive can enhance food they are already eating as well as sharing variations of dishes that members are familiar with to help people think about produce in new ways.  We have these recipes available to sample at distribution. When members have tried something and know they like it, they are more likely to take the time to replicate it at home.

People joining a CSA generally have the desire to learn to cook with fresh produce, but some lack expertise. Guiding members in the basic ways of using fresh produce helps to retain members. To start, we will create a comprehensive vegetable list, which includes all produce to be distributed through SFS. Using this, members can identify produce, get simple preparation techniques, and learn how to store the produce for both the short and long term. The comprehensive vegetable list can also be split into individual Quick Guides for less common produce to distribute on weeks they are found in shares. Both the comprehensive vegetable list and the quick guides will be found on the Sturdy Farm Share website.

When members understand the importance of proper storage, for both the short and long term, retention increases throughout the season. We will provide a colorful single sided “Care for Your Share” informational sheet that our members receive at the start of the season to hang on their refrigerator. It’ll be a quick reference on how to store produce and how quickly each vegetable should be consumed. It is important to place an emphasis on storage at weekly distribution. We’ll provide our distribution volunteers with extra knowledge and prompts for helping members understand what is in their share and how to store it.

We will work with our partner farms to help them understand the needs of members who may have limited resources or lack experience preparing food. Many of these members simply want access to affordable produce, and are not looking for more sophisticated shares. While we acknowledge that the traditional CSA model is not one in which a member chooses the food received, we also must understand the needs of our members if we are to have success in spreading fresh produce into areas that need it most. People just learning to eat healthy are most likely to stick with a CSA share if it contains a majority of produce that they can recognize.

It’s important to consider what members in lower income brackets may be facing. What cooking utensils are available? Do they have cutting boards, ingredients to prepare food, or time to prepare extensive recipes? SFS will raise money throughout the year to purchase cooking utensils and spices to give our members to start the season with. We will also utilize surveys, which encourages members to give us feedback on what produce they need more help with, what recipes they would like to see more of, etc.

Our farmers must adapt to create shares that with the 50% discount will cost members less than $10. It is important to remember that even when people are paying that little per week, it is an investment of their food budget. According to the Food and Health Network’s 2014 “Helping to Create Hunger-Free Communities” Report, “In 2013, monthly SNAP benefits in the [9 county] region averaged about $132 per recipient.” If a share member receives the least expensive share their cost is $40 per month or 30% of their food budget.
Another consideration is the unpredictability that can come with living without economic security. Member reminders are extremely important. Both a reminder the day before and having someone that can call members within a half hour of the end of distribution if a share has not been claimed will be provided.

SFS will also utilize a Share Bank, which will be available for member use if a payment cannot be made. Certain times of the month budgets can be tight and this will help to keep members in the program rather than leaving due to embarrassment of not having funds to pay for a share. Members will be able to use the Share Bank twice in a season without paying it back. However, we expect most members will reimburse any money used.

There are programs that farmers can tap into to make CSA programs accessible to members in low-income areas, including asking your own members to donate to a fund for those who may not be able to afford the full price of the CSA. This way, farmers can still be paid the full price for their share and families who most need it can have healthy, nutritious food on their tables.

Food is a commonality among us all. Food brings people together and creates community. Our world is seeking community now and small farms are situated to bring people together through programs like Sturdy Farm Share.

For more information on participation as a Farm Share or CSA Member, please email info@sturdycommunities.com.