I know there’s been lots of talk about CSA’s and fresh produce on this site, but when I’m into something, I’m hardcore.  And I can (and will) go on for days.  But instead of focusing on my own experiences with the gloriousness that is fresh food, I decided to speak to the woman responsible for jump starting the CSA that I participate in (the Ditmas Park CSA), Shayna Lewis.

I spoke to her about what spurred her to start the Ditmas Park CSA, her feelings about the community benefits of community supported agriculture, and how she was able to pull the whole thing together.

When did you first get the idea to start a CSA?
Actually, it was Jorge’s (he’s the farmer at Amantai Farm) idea. He asked me if I was interested in helping him to organize one.

What pushed you to say yes?
I said yes because I am really interested in the CSA as a model of distribution. I think that it has enormous potential to support local agriculture in a way that vastly benefits the customer, the consumer and the environment. Also, as I plan on having my own farm someday (soon I hope), I thought it would be good experience to try to organize one.

What were the initial steps you took to set up the Ditmas Park CSA?
I was the market manager at the Cortelyou Road farmers’ market, where Jorge also sells, at the time that he had the idea. He had a number of regular customers who came to the market every Sunday whom I had gotten to know over the course of the summer. I asked several of them if they would be interested, and a number of them said yes. In the winter when we were getting it started, I contacted them and they were very responsive and posted the info on blogs, etc and the thing kind of took on a life of its own. Honestly, I didn’t really do that much.

Could you describe the process of setting up a CSA in your neighborhood?
Really I think it just involves talking to people and finding those who are very interested in becoming a part of it in the full sense of the word, i.e. not just becoming members, but talking about it and feeling like their membership is an important thing and that it is an important thing to have one in the neighborhood. The more people who are committed to the success of the endeavor, the more likely it is to be successful.

What are the benefits of having a local CSA to participate in?
There are several layers of benefits I believe. Economically, it saves the customer money and gives people who might not otherwise have it access to real, fresh, local organic produce on a regular basis. I think it’s a good thing that it forces people to cook and eat seasonally — although force sounds like a bad word. For me, I really like being given ingredients and having to figure out what to do with them rather than be overwhelmed with almost infinite possibilities in a supermarket. It also builds community in a very nice way, I think. Food is a really integral part of our experience and it’s nice for people to be a part of a distribution system rather than an anonymous shopper, especially now that there aren’t really local greengrocers around the city.

Did you feel like it added to the sense of community in Flatbush?
Yes, definitely. It was nice to see people talking to each other and to passersby at the distribution site.

You said you’d moved to PA recently, are you working with the Ditmas Park CSA farm, and in what capacity?
I’m actually working on a different CSA here, as an intern.

Besides the obvious benefits for the residents (eating fresh, in season food), what are the benefits for the farm?
For the farmer it 1) cuts out the middleman, thus increasing profit.   2) Takes out the risk involved in selling at markets where from one week to the next sales might double or halve or worse or selling on the market in general, where prices fluctuate according to unintelligible global forces.  3) Gives them an income at the time when they need it: at the beginning of the season. That’s when they need to make investments on things like seed and equipment. Thus they don’t need to take out loans when they might otherwise have had to.  4) Allows them to connect with the people they are growing for and be responsive to the needs of that group. I think it can be highly motivating when you’re friendly with the people for whom your produce is destined and also good to know that you are growing what they want to eat and that it is good for them.

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