Eight weeks ago, inspired by the "Forging Links to An Alternative Food Chain" panel at YearlyKos, I subscribed to a local CSA and wrote about that experience. Several folks have wondered how that experience has gone so I thought it was time for an update.
I'll start by saying that the Japanese word for Community Supported Agriculture, teikei hits the nail squarely on the head when it translates as "food with the farmer's face on it". Of all the characteristics of a CSA subscription, this one has had the most impact on me. I know who grows my food, and where it comes from. Ironically, I haven't yet met my farmer, but I feel like I've known her for years through our correspondence, and through the very real connection of food baskets each week. This personal connection took on a new significance this past week when I learned that her farm was right in the path of the Rice fires in Northern San Diego County.
It's a given that everyone living in Southern California - and probably throughout the US - knows of someone personally affected by these wildfires; the extent is that big. Homes were destroyed in an instant and lives were turned upside down. I'm grateful there weren't more lives lost, though I realize thousands were impacted. In the past, my concern would probably stop here, and I'd be getting on with my own business. Many in the affected region will also be doing so; indeed the rebuilding process has already begun.
But this time, through the eyes of a farmer, I saw the whole scenario differently. This time, I actually cared about the fuel of the fire. Now it wasn't just a lot of dry brush going up in flames; it was fruit trees - orchards of avocados and limes, macadamias and guavas. It now wasn't just some random hillside engulfed in flames, shown continually on the news. It was a real place, in the tiny community of Rainbow, that I became obsessed looking for news on. And it wasn't just a bunch of numbers and statistics about acreage and dollars - it was a family, trying to make a go of organic farming as a life's dream, now losing many avocado trees, their key cash crop. And unlike houses, trees can't be rebuilt. When the price of avocados goes up, I won't be seeing just an inflated price tag, I'll be seeing the real people who are growing these for a living. And that's something that never happens to me at the supermarket.
This is just one story about a small farm, and just one story about a family affected by the San Diego fires. But it has helped me personally understand the state of farming in our country, and better recognize the fragile environment the family farmer faces. And in that respect, I owe this "awakening" to being part of a CSA. Agribusiness will treat this incident as a blip and move on its merry way. But this farmer is likely at a crossroads. And now I more clearly understand where our priorities lie - just yesterday, the North County Times noted the plight of the avocado farmers, but then dismissed agriculture's contributions to the economy as minor. Fittingly to them, "the county's high-tech and defense-based industries that dominate the economy will march on."
I didn't intend to write my diary this way. As of last week it was shaping up as a typical update from a contented CSA supporter. I feel good about supporting the farmer, whom I've developed an e-mail relationship with. She's even kicked off her own blog to share the backgrounds of these wonderful fruits and vegetables with supporters, and to keep us apprised of what's going on with the farm. When I show up at my pickup site, I now see a whole table full of baskets, and that's a great testimony to the word-of-mouth that's out there and the demand that exists for locally-grown organic produce; in fact, I had two of my neighbors sign up within weeks of my doing so.
I'm also meeting some cool people. There's Mary, a volunteer who helps with basket distribution. She has her degree in performance art, and is seriously thinking of applying to be "America's Next Top Chef" with an emphasis on "go local". I love The Old Vine Restaurant, which I only first learned about as my drop-off point, but which has turned out to be one of my favorite new restaurants. The care the chef puts into the cuisine is apparent, and he even uses the CSA produce in his own dishes. The two brothers who own it have a great story to tell, and it's fun to have a restaurant where you can develop relationships with the owners, staff, and other diners.
Really, what could be more basic than food and people coming together? In the case of my CSA, I love the fact that it begins with the grower and continues all the way to the table.
Sometimes, though, life throws unexpected challenges our way. We all saw that this past week. And the thing about this particular story is that I honestly don't know how this one will turn out. We're all awaiting word on the fate of the farm.
So I'll close this with a plea. If you know of any resources available to farmers in this situation, I'd love to pass them on. The family is just now being let back onto the farm, and they don't really know what they'll discover. Please keep them in your thoughts.