Community-supported Agriculture - Environmental Context

Environmental Context

The environment’s benefit is quite simple- the minimal transportation required to transport food locally is a significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Many CSA farmers also produce their food without the use of pesticides or inorganic fertilizers, so they are as natural as possible, limiting their impact on the environment. The human fixed nitrogen used as fertilizer for crops accounts for 75% of human fixed nitrogen, which causes eutrophication, greatly harming aquatic ecosystems. The environment also benefits indirectly through the elimination of the farm’s need for subsidies. Farm subsidies “can foster overloading of croplands, leading to erosion and compaction of topsoil, pollution from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, denitrification of soils, and release of greenhouse gases, among other adverse effects,”. Biocides have also become an increasingly important issue. At least a billion pounds of biocides are used each year in the U.S. alone, only 1% of which actually end up killing what they were meant to. CSAs eliminate all of this, as long as they are following the traditional CSA methodology of organic farming.

The growth of the environmental movement has certainly helped CSAs to grow. Concern for a healthy environment is the primary reason that CSA members join. Other primary reasons for belonging to a CSA are a desire to eat vegetables in season, source of organic produce, and support of local food sources. These reasons are all connected to the environmental movement, issues that pertain to sustainability and spending locally. The environmental movement also had large influence over the awareness of the issues surrounding pesticide use, popularized by Rachel Carson, which was likely a huge spark to the fast-growing fire of CSAs.