CSAs are an exciting alternative because they help spread the risk of farming among growers and consumers, and they allow consumers some say about what is grown on the farms. Information about CSAs is available from state Departments of Agriculture or state Extension Services. You can support local agriculture even if you shop at supermarkets. Find out where your produce comes from by asking the produce manager at your store, and buy local whenever you can. There are many other ways to work for an environmentally responsible sustainable agriculture in New England.
Agricultural education is an important part of the picture.
Several nonprofit organizations and community farms have started agricultural education programs that deserve support. Although each person's actions are an individual matter, we stand to lose a lot as a region if we don't make changes in our collective purchasing choices. Their sweet corn, strawberries, tomatoes, and other vegetables are labeled with a distinctive sticker so that customers know they are getting food grown in an environmentally responsible way. New England consumers can be partners with nature too, by being better partners with New England farmers-buying locally grown foods and helping to support growers who use environmentally sound growing methods.