People nationwide are developing healthier lifestyles, looking to reconnect with the source of their food and buying locally grown, organic products. In Greater Gainesville, people are following the national trend by participating in community supported agriculture projects hosted by local farms. Each project invites members of the community to become shareholders of a farm. For a full season of growing, participants each receive a basket of organic, seasonal produce, like arugula, mushrooms and potatoes each week in return for their investments in the farm.
Greater Gainesville is home to three farms that offer this service: Swallowtail Farm, located north of Alachua; Frog Song Organics, located in Hawthorne; and Siembra Farm, located in southeast Gainesville.
By joining the CSA, shareholders have the opportunity to support sustainable agricultural practices, strengthen the local economy, and develop relationships with the food they eat and the people who grow it.
