COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA

Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) can  be described as a system that connects the producer and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumers to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. The arrangement gives farmers up- front cash to finance their operation and higher prices since the middlemen has been eliminated. This initiative increase the variety of farm produce, gives new knowledge about sustainable farming practices, brings communities together and its environmentally friendly.

Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. 

In a traditional CSA model…

·         Members share the risks and benefits of food production with the farmer.

·         Members buy a share of the farm’s production before each growing season.

·         In return, they receive regular distributions of the farm’s bounty throughout the season.

·         The farmer receives advance working capital, gains financial security, earns better crop prices, and benefits from the direct marketing plan.

"Current business models for CSAs are diverse and innovative. Producers have adapted the CSA model to fit a variety of emerging direct marketing opportunities, including:

·         Institutional health and wellness programs;

·         Multi-farm systems to increase scale and scope;

·         Season extension technologies; and

·         Incorporating value-added products, offering flexible shares, and flexible electronic purchasing and other e-commerce marketing tools."