If you’re looking to support local farmers in Seattle and consistently stock your kitchen with fresh food, joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program might be for you!
What is Community Support Agriculture?
A CSA is an arrangement between a farmer and customer where the customer buys a subscription for a local farm’s produce. When interested participants sign up for a CSA, their subscription helps a farmer purchase seeds, supplies, and cover other pre-season costs. When harvest season comes around from June to October, farmers drop off weekly boxes with a share of harvest for CSA members to pick up. The CSA model was invented in the 1960s by Black horticulturalist Booker T. Whatley to support struggling Black farmers.
March is a great time of year to sign up for a CSA! While most of the programs don’t have sign-up deadlines, they can fill up quickly, and some Seattle CSAs are already full. Boxes include a variety of local fruits and vegetables and can have add-ons such as grains, flowers, meat, dairy, mushrooms, and other foods. Some farms will even deliver right to your door!
Supporting Our Local Food System
Seattle’s need for a resilient food system has never been clearer — Farmers and producers are facing labor shortages, land access barriers, and climate change impacts like damaging extreme weather events. Families and communities are experiencing rising costs, lack of access to healthy and culturally relevant foods, and food insecurity.
By purchasing a CSA produce subscription, you are putting seed money into farmers’ hands so they can grow crops with a stable income throughout the growing season. While the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is not affiliated with a specific CSA, we support locally grown produce and increased access to fresh foods through a lot of our work, as does the City of Seattle as a whole — and we love opportunities to highlight our many amazing food partners!
Seattle’s Food Action Plan supports CSAs as a great way for Seattle residents to buy local and culturally relevant foods, boost the local economy, and shorten the supply chain from farm to plate. The Plan also uplifts local farms that use regenerative agricultural practices like less chemicals and preserving land and natural resources. OSE’s website has a list of Citywide food programs.
How to Sign Up for a CSA
Enter a ZIP Code in Eat Local First’s, an organization serving Washington, CSA Finder to find a local farm with pick-up points near your home, workplace, or another convenient spot. The Finder also has filter options to help you find CSAs that meet your needs, including those that accept SNAP benefits. After you select a farm, you can go to the farm’s website to learn more and sign up for their CSA.
To help get you started, OSE compiled a list of some CSAs that support BIPOC farmers or serve Seattle communities with limited access to fresh produce, including Rainier Beach and the Central District:
- Rainier Beach Action Coalition
Supports BIPOC farmers and accepts SNAP and EBT benefits and sliding scale payment options. Offers option to sponsor boxes donated to families in need. - Clean Greens Farm & Market
A small nonprofit farm owned and operated by residents of Seattle’s Central District, founded by the Black Dollar Days Task Force. Offers payment plan options and distributes free produce to community residents in need. - Viva Farms
Works with beginning, limited resource farmers through a bilingual organic agriculture training program. Offers discounts to low-income families and SNAP and EBT discounts at some sites. - Plant Based Food Share
Sourced from local and BIPOC farmers. Offers discounts for low-income families and the option to help sponsor boxes donated to families in need. - Southeast Seattle Education Coalition’s Mother’s Day Weekend Flowers
Sales directly support Title 1 Seattle Public Schools locations and equity funds in 46 schools. Also supports local farmers and the PNW BIPOC Farmland Trust. - Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Cooperative
A co-operative of 23 farm families living and working in the Snoqualmie Valley just minutes from Seattle. Offers home delivery and payment plan options.
Learn more about CSAs at Eatlocalfirst.org. Dive into the City of Seattle’s food programs on OSE’s website.