Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) connects a community to their local producers in a symbiotic relationship that celebrates “home-grown” while encouraging families, restaurants and other CSA partners to enjoy and appreciate local agricultural products. Once reserved for produce only, CSA programs today also highlight an array of products including rare meats and fresh seafood.
CSA’s offering meat memberships are gaining popularity as more people seek to understand exactly where their meats are coming from, as well as how they are produced. Similar to the movement toward consuming more ancient grains, more consumers are using CSA’s to locate heritage meats that have been around for centuries and yet aren’t generally found in our supermarkets. In coastal North America, communities are coming together to support local fisheries and allow communities, including schools, to buy directly from the dock. This “boat to fork” movement, is providing fresh, local seafood to its Community Supported Fishery (CSF) members who are in turn enabling fishermen to thrive.
CSA’s are no longer just about being connected with a local farmer to receive a regular collection of that week’s bounty. Today, belonging to a CSA can mean far more. Use this resource guide to find the best local sources or to join a CSA to acquire harder to find meats and “boat to fork” seafood in your area.
Community Supported Fisheries
- Community Supported Fishery (serving Garibaldi, OR)
- LocalCatch.org (a terrific resource for locating “boat to fork” opportunities in your area)
- Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (a list of CSF’s, mostly in the east)
Heritage Meats and More
- LocalHarvest.org (US farmers)
- eatWILD.org (New York)
- FarmtoForkMeat.com (North Carolina)