CSAs depend on community and encourage sustainable relationships. 

In the CSA model, consumers become members and have the opportunity to directly engage the farmers who grow the food they enjoy. Over the course of a growing season, CSA members receive fresh, seasonal and locally-grown produce for a reasonable fee and the comfort associated with knowing exactly where and from whom their food comes. Volunteer opportunities for members who seek a more active connection to the farm and their produce, as well as celebratory and educational events are also common to the CSA model.

CSA farmers benefit from the model as they are able to outreach to stakeholders in advance of the season's height, attain the security of a livable wage in part through members' contributions, and have the chance to cultivate unique, personal relationships with the individuals and families who eat the food they have worked so hard to grow.

Importantly, CSA members and farmers also share a relationship with nature. Understanding that some risk will always be part of a process in which the natural world is a partner, therefore, is extremely helpful to everyone involved.  Each season will have its own challenges, invite new learning opportunities and include special successes. Similarly, each CSA will have its own character formed by everything from the soil that serves as the farm's foundation to the growers that tend to and manage it, and the members who place value on coming together to support it.

CSAs are investments -- in one's environment, local agriculture and each other.