Let’s celebrate CSA day !
As every year our movement makes waves on #CSAday to spread the word about CSA even further and inspire eaters to join us.
(Cover photo credit: Sarka Krcikova)
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and includes a wide diversity of approaches that all aim to strengthen direct farmer-eater relationships. A relationship which is at its core about sharing the risks and the rewards of farming.
The #CSAday celebration marks its 7th year in 2022! Initiated by Small Farm Central in the US to increase seasonal sign-up, it has grown not only in numbers but also in its diversity. CSA initiatives can now be found in all corners of the world, each reflecting their unique local (agri-)cultural flavour.
More than 3 Million eaters are engaged in our movement worldwide! Driven by their passion for healthy and sustainably grown food they support the agroecological transition of our food systems.
#CSAday is a celebration of this joint effort of farmers and eaters to build the world we truly want to live in!
Here at URGENCI, the international CSA network we create and reinforce the links between existing national and local CSA networks as well supporting the emergence of new networks. Our global network is based on the core shared values of Agroecology: Food Sovereignty, Solidarity Economy and Biodiversity.
Our work also aims to build political acknowledgement of our movement and to be part of policy making processes. We are here to stay and to make ourselves be heard!
The United Nations declared 2022 as the International year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, it also the year we will be launching a course on Community Supported Fisheries on our e-learning platform.
Let’s use #CSAday as an opportunity to show the world what CSA is all about and to motivate others to join in as well!
You could speak to your neighbours, friends and colleagues about CSA. And if there is no CSA near you, create your own CSA in 2022 with the support of your regional or national network!
What’s happening on #CSAday around the world?
GLOBAL
Photo Credit: Luca Bellini
This year URGENCI organised a Photo contest to celebrate CSA day on CSA day we will reveal all winners!
https://urgenci.net/photo-contest-csa-day-2022/
ASIA
24 February 2022, 1300-1500 CET
Community Supported Agriculture in the World of Today. A 90th Birthday Present for Trauger Groh
Alice Groh, a biodynamic farmer with decades of experience, and her son Theodore Groh (USA) have, together with the late Trauger Groh, been right there at the start of the CSA movement, in 1986, in the US. They will share how this all happened, how it works and also talk about the backgrounds: https://www.grohfarm.com
Hermann Pohlmann (Mexico) is Founder and Director of the Teikei Global Network, Founder of the CSA Network Brasil with more than 200 CSA projects today. He has been engaged in numerous research and creative projects in universities in Europe and both Americas as part of his artistic work in Social Sculpture.
Wallapa van Willenswaard has been involved with arts, nutrition and CSA for decades and since lately is member of the Board of URGENCI. From Family CSA to Institutional CSA of Schools-Hospitals Collaborating with Community Farmers will be her topic.
Link to join the session: https://goetheanum-ch.zoom.us/j/83029087845?pwd=MzNheVNuOG5LTXIrd- VZIWnMwbGJnZz09 | Meeting-ID: 830 2908 7845 | Kenncode: 371129
AUSTRALIA
23.02.2022 at 0930 – 1100 CET
Solidarity Session #19 -An eater’s guide to Community Supported Agriculture
CZEC REPUBLIC
Food&More project’s outputs have been spread in their Czech version:
- Toolkit https://www.asociaceampi.cz/blog
- Video food citizens: https://youtu.be/CFYrEPtmAMc
- Video – How to help my community: https://youtu.be/incqWgl8HNQ
Many activities have been planned:
- 2. 2022 – send press release to media
- 2. 2022 – special newsletter to our mailing list of people interested in CSA (1800 readers) – promotion of outputs from Food&More project
- since 22. 2. 2022 (10 days) – promotion campaign at facebook – 10 blog posts published at our website
- 2. 2022 – organize webinar for food communities – https://kpzinfo.cz/akce/webinar-adresar-farmaru
FINLAND
A great webinar was held on Sunday 20.02.2022:
Kumppanuusmaatalous on muutakin kuin ruokaa (CSA is more than just food) https://www.facebook.com/events/545060666667126/?ref=newsfeed
There will be many other activities happening all over the week, including the publication of the Finnish CSA Network’s Food Manifesto:
HUNGARY
The local CSA network organised a CSA family day a bit earlier, with more than 120 visitors came. Here are the pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4811115652290193&type=3
On CSA Day, the Hungarian CSA movement will be represented on a conference about short supply chains in Hungary. A press release as well as a list of Hungarian CSAs will be sent out. A social media campaign will be conducted to spread the world about #CSADay!
MEDITERRANEAN REGION
Photo credit: Denis Carel
22.02.2022 1400-1530 CET (replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZF6sAj37KU)
How to manage a CSA farm in the Mediterranean region?
Our next stop with the Mediterranean Caravan of #Agroecology will be on #CSADay, 22 Feb, 1400 CET (UTC+1). We will celebrate the growth of the #CSA movement with 3 producers from Portugal, France and Italy who will share their advice on “How to Manage CSA Farms in the Mediterranean Sea Region”. Register asap: https://bit.ly/3sH9rI1
The webinar will be interpreted in English and French.
NETHERLANDS
In the Netherlands there is a whole movement of CSA’s who are creating an alternative economy via ‘solidarity payment’. Hereby, the CSA shareholders can decide the wage of the farmer, based on their own wage. In this way, everyone gets access to healthy, local agroecological food, and the producers get at least the minimum wage (most of them are far below the minimum wage, before ‘solidarity payment’). We celebrate the #CSAday with the spreading of our new documentary. We invite everyone to use this documentary and spread the word for a fair in come and inclusive food system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mKjggqKBdg&list=PL0MhY5p00P9s5p0ImDOgk9xMBjgAZKOlo&index=6
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CSA Week, organized by the CSA Innovation Network, is taking place from February 20th through February 26th, 2022! During this special week, we are encouraging farmers and farmer support organizations across the country to come together in promoting CSA, and we want YOU to participate!
In previous years, CSA Day was led by Small Farm Central and it become “the day” when CSA farms collectively promote CSA across the country with unified messaging and urgency for members to sign up. It’s a way for all of us to encourage CSA sign-ups while promoting the CSA movement across the nation. In 2021, the CSA Innovation Network extended the event from one day to an entire week, and is doing so again in 2022! This will give us more time to build engagement with new and returning CSA members.
More details:
https://www.csainnovationnetwork.org/csa-week
Just Food is celebrating #CSAday by working hard on its ongoing projects! We’re helping our farmers and New York City CSAs rebuild after two challenging pandemic years, and we’re updating our Just Food ToolBox of resources for new and experienced CSAs, which will be available on our website soon. We’re also working to expand the reach of CSAs in the city to include more communities that don’t currently have access to fresh, high-quality, locally-grown produce.
Sheryll Durrant, Just Board Chair, Sheryll.d@justfood.org, is the main contact.
