unchanging price. The producer commits to provide quality products in accordance with CSAs’ charter.
CSA’ s objectives are the following:
� Preserving local farming agriculture, socially fair and ecologically,
� Preserving the environment through ecological farming techniques, and the maintenance of biodiversity,
� Establishing fair trade between farmers and consumers,
� Encouraging consumers to have an healthy nutrition and to be health-caring,
� Empowering consumers through citizen and united commitment.
On a national level, Miramap, CSA network, offers many tools, useful to create new CSAs. It is also a guarantee for the ethical aspect of this good practice, especially thanks to CSAs’ charter. On a local level, these methods expand to cities essentially. Some derived methods, less demanding, less restrictive, are emerging.
Advantages and drawbacks
The best price-quality ratio you can find on the market: thanks to mutual commitment between consumers and producers, free disposal of a distribution point and a trustworthy bond between both players. In CSAs, the way of consuming is one of the least expensive on the market. However, the consumer will have to pay a part of the producer’ s harvest six to twelve months in advance and he will not be able to choose the quantities or even what will be inside the basket.
CSAs also offer a moment of conviviality and exchange around production, agriculture, but also around food and cooking. Additional activities are often proposed: conviviality time, farm visits, farm help, etc. in order to encourage the understanding of one another. Even if this system has taken off in the last few years, it is at the end of the road today: the number of members is decreasing every half-year. It is also due to other types of CSA, less restrictive, that emerged on the market.
38