The origin of the Community Supported Agriculture concept, the partnership between consumers and farmers, can be traced to Japan. Homemakers began noticing an increase in imported foods, the consistent loss of farmland to development, and the migration of farmers to the cities.
In 1965, a group of women approached a local farm family with an idea to address these issues and provide their families with fresh fruits and vegetables. The farmers agreed to provide produce if multiple families made a commitment to support the farm. A contract was drawn and the Teikei concept was born, which translated literally means partnership, but philosophically means ‘food with the farmer’s face on it’. Clubs operating under the Teikei concept in Japan today serve thousands of people sharing the harvest of hundreds of farmers.
Robyn Van En
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