We live in a world of pre-packaged, microwave heat-able, tasteless, soulless, pretty much inedible food.

And we like it like that because it is easy, it requires no effort on our part, and pretty much allows us to fit into a certain category, market, or demographic – and we don't have to think for ourselves. Since the flaws, in this current economic system have become apparent– with the crises and all, the question now is, are there any means by which the static manufacturer/retailer/consumer model can be broken?

And there is.

In Cape Town we've already supported the first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project, and this winter, Slow Food Cape Town, in conjunction with the Sustainability Institute, and farmers Eric Swarts and Erick Zenzele, will run the winter CSA bag project from 30th June through 18th August.

The concept is simple. CSA is a partnership between an agricultural or artisan producer (a farmer basically) and a group of consumers/participants. The participants sponsor the production of a specific crop or product at the beginning of the CSA, and during the season, the producer responds with frequent reports on that crop’s development and growth, and the participants can visit the producer to learn more about how crop is grown, and even help with the harvest. The harvest is divided between all the members during the course of the season.

Possible CSA products could include vegetables, fruit or grass-fed beef.

So, you are basically involved and invested in the food that you will eventually eat. Without being trite, it makes you appreciate it a whole lot more.

The point of all of this is to reconnect “consumers” with agricultural producers, and make urban dwellers aware of the lifecycles implicit in growing and producing the food we eat. Every week during the season the participants receive a bag of mixed vegetables that come from a combination of Eric and Ericks's respective produce.

In order to grow enough crops for a group of people, a farmer needs to buy inputs at the beginning of the growing season, such as labour, seeds, mulch, etc. and all of these are a major expense.

A CSA gives a farmer something very unusual in agriculture: certainty. He or she knows there is a market for the crops before they are grown, and exactly how many people need to be fed. Requiring payment upfront is one way to determine how much must be planted and harvested to meet the needs of the participants. The price for the total for eight weeks of vegetables is R462 (hardly a great deal of money).

Participants will pick up their bags from certain collection points around the city; Jaqui Daya Good Food Store in Newlands, Millstone Farm Stall at Oude Moulen Eco-Village in Pinelands and the Deer Park Café in Vredehoek.

To reserve a spot in the CSA and make your payment, please send an email to kate@slowfoodcsa.co.za, and she will send you a reservation code and their banking information for EFT. Be quick as the last time we featured the CSA, they'd sold out in minutes!

source: Slowfood CSA and Mother City Living