On a personal level, there is really only so much we can do to choose to have a clean Spokane River, to have abundant wetlands, to have healthy forests, and to have clean air to breathe. We can do our part, and we can involve ourselves with like minded people and / or groups. But we cannot decide one day to have our own, clean, healthy, and environmentally responsible resource. However, with food, you can. And that’s what makes the issue of healthy food so interesting, and not just healthy as in healthy for your body – but healthy for you, for the community, and for the Earth. Food is a necessity that we all share, and luckily, we all have a choice in the food we choose. Now it’s time to educate yourself to make a good decision.

Spokane Tilth, a local chapter of the Washington Tilth Association, is an educational and research association that promotes biologically sound, socially equitable, sustainable agriculture. This Saturday, February 28 from 12 – 4 at the Community Building, Spokane Tilth will be hosting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Open House Event giving community members an opportunity to meet the local growers, and to ‘shop’ various options for purchasing locally grown and raised foods in 2009.

Due to the bountiful diversity of our region, Spokane Tilth has organized the Inland Northwest Community Supported Agriculture Association (INCSAA) to create a network of relationships which will help match producers and customers find a ‘best fit’ option. According to their press release, the event on Saturday is intended as the first of a series of ‘meet and greet’ opportunities during which interested community members can learn about the many options as they consider selecting a specific CSA program.

As for the idea of INCSAA, Spokane Tilth representative Brian Estes believes it is a very unique model as it is, “a citizen's group providing direct support for local agriculture and working actively to build direct links between producers and consumers via development of Community Supported Agriculture programs.” As DTE sees it, INCSAA will tie community into the local agriculture and sustainability realm, giving them access and cooperation with the agricultural, environmental, economic, social and cultural scenes in the Inland Northwest.  For more information on this Saturday's event - see the press release after the jump

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULURE (CSA) OPEN HOUSE EVENT

Feb. 28 Event a ‘Meet the Producer’ Opportunity for Community Members to Shop CSA Options

 

On February 28, an event providing community members the opportunity to meet area farmers offering CSA shares for the 2009 growing season will be held from 12:00 to 4:00 pm at the Community Building at 35 W Main in Spokane, WA. The purpose of the event is to give community members/customers the chance to ‘shop’ various options for purchasing locally grown and raised foods in 2009.

 

In the CSA model, customers purchase a ‘share’ of the harvest from a producer (sometimes a cooperative of producers) which comes in the form of regular installments across the duration of a growing season. Usually on a weekly basis, a collection of food will be available for pick up or delivery. These installments can include fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy products, meat and more.

 

Cost, portion size, type of products offered and duration of share can vary. All of these things depend on the particular desires and needs of a producer and CSA members. Also varying between CSAs include how and where regular share installments are passed on to shareholders, as well as share member involvement in the farm (some CSAs simply pass on produce to share members, others offer opportunities to visit the farm or participate in the management of the CSA). The CSA model finds its roots in being ‘community supported’: the model aims to more deeply connect and engage producers and eaters.

 

With the diversity of options in mind, Spokane Tilth’s has organized the Inland Northwest Community Supported Agriculture Association (INCSAA) to create a network of relationships which will help match producers and customers find a ‘best fit’ option. The Feb. 28 event is intended as the first of a series of ‘meet and greet’ opportunities during which interested community members can learn about the many options as they consider selecting a specific CSA program.

 

INCSAA will also be offering an extensive series of workshops and other support efforts to assist producers in developing successful and sustainable CSA operations, along with education opportunities for community members. The first of these workshops will be held March 21 with details TBA.

 

CSA producers involved in INCSAA farm across the greater Spokane and Coeur D’Alene area; INCSAA intends to promote and organize efforts which will connect with producers and consumers across this region and throughout the Inland Northwest.

 

 

The Inland Northwest Community Supported Agriculture Association is a program of Spokane Tilth. INCSAA was formed in the autumn of 2008 with the intention of advocating for the use of CSA programs as a means for producers and consumers to develop economically, environmentally and socially sustainable food based relationships. Founded in 1998 as a chapter of the Washington Tilth Association, Spokane Tilth works to promote biologically sound and socially equitable sustainable agriculture. INCSAA is directly supported by Slow Food Spokane River and WSU Extension Spokane County.

 

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If you would like more information about this event, the activities of INCSAA and Spokane Tilth, or to schedule an interview with participants (farmers) or event organizers, please contact Brian Estes at (509) 521.0606 or smsgarden@gmail.com

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