We are also working to develop a coalition and projects to save family farms. They can keep whatever they want for themselves, but they also pick for the local food banks. They also run a large community garden, and learn gardening and food preservation from Extension Food Advisor volunteers. CSA is a partnership between a farm and supporters in the which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm's yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season's harvest.
Customers normally receive a weekly share of fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, and even eggs.
In western Washington, most CSAs operate from late May through October, normally 20 to 22 weeks. Food in the United States travels an average of 1,300 miles from the farm to the market sending millions of food dollars to other states and countries. Locally, the nation's best farmland is being lost to commercial and residential development at an accelerating rate. At the same time, the retirement of older farmers, increasing land and production costs, and the lack of incentive for young people to enter farming all combine to make local food production an increasingly difficult task. Several advantages to the direct marketing approach of CSA, in addition to shared risk and prepayment of farm costs, are the minimal loss and waste of harvested farm produce, freshly harvested produce with little or reduced need for long-term storage, and a willingness by members to accept produce with natural cosmetic imperfections.