posted 9 years ago
I have a ½ acre urban farm and I am considering starting a new type of CSA. Instead of passively receiving a box of produce, the farm becomes something of a co-op. VERY business oriented even if it feels touchy-feely. People pay one of two prices, one involves volunteering to help with work on the farm or pay less to just be part of it.
The reason I think this will work is lots of people want to do things like have animals but have either tried it and decided it was too much work or don’t have the time/space to do it. This allows them to feel like they are involved with farming but not have to actually do much. The farm benefits by either getting volunteers who pay to volunteer or subscribers who pay even more to simply “participate” in fun stuff on the weeks or just get their standard CSA package.
We also teach classes on the farm, some woodworking, herbal stuff, even yoga as part of making it more than just a passive farm.
We are also going to start hosting a new form of farmer’s market where people bring their excess fruits and veggies and we either swap them out or have “volunteers” process them for drying or jam.
Curious if anyone has tried this or has thoughts.