CSA or Community Supported Agriculture

What is CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supportive Agriculture. It is a collaborating system between the farmers and their community. Farmers share the risks and the rewards of their yield by offering memberships. The idea is to minimise the impact of fertility problems and variations in sizes of carcass throughout the year (when it is about meat production) or climate issues (when it is an orchard or a market garden). It also guarantees a great quality of produce to the members for a fair price. All parts of the animals are used, avoiding waste, and the members get to know and cook cuts they’ve probably never heard before. It’s the same with fruits and veggies: members get seasonal produce, sometimes discover heirloom varieties they didn’t know existed, and have to preserve some of it when it comes in abundance for the times it’s not in season anymore. This sharing system provides to the members a direct connection to the farm and a better understanding of the food production.

CSA has been created in Japan in the 1970’s and follow the 10 principles of Teikei, which are:
1 – principle of mutual assistance
2 – principle of intended production
3 – principle of accepting the produce
4 – principle of mutual concession in the price decision
5 – principle of deepening friendly relationships
6 – principle of self-distribution
7 – principle of democratic management
8 – principle of learning among each group
9 – principle of maintaining the appropriate group scale
10 – principle of steady development

Why CSA?

Becoming a CSA member at Abundance Farm means that you will be delivered our farm produce monthly, directly to your home. You will also receive prior notice and discounts for any limited farm produce and special events or workshops organised at the farm. You will be invited once a year to our annual ‘members only farm day’ where you’ll get the opportunity to give us feedback, meet our feathery and furry friends, visit the farm and share a feast together.

Being a CSA member also means that you choose to support regenerative farming practices and animal welfare and that we, farmers, are directly accountable to our consumers. CSA allows the reduction of our carbon footprint by sequestering carbon with diversified farming systems as well as delivering farm produce locally. CSA provides with very appreciated regular income to growers, increasing their quality of life, earning a living from their work. CSA helps to give back food sovereignty to farmers and consumers instead of agrobusiness corporations. Finally, CSA encourages and supports emergent farmers like us.

How CSA works?

Share size

Choose between 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14kg of pasture raised free range beef.

Each pack includes a range of cuts that will vary depending on availability and seasonal cuts (seasonal sausages, mince, small roast, steaks etc…)

Our Black Angus cattle herd is small, in accordance to the size of our property and water capacity. We have a limited number of shares for households located in Victoria (Melbourne metropolitan area, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, Yarra Valley, Mansfield, Ballarat and Bendigo).

Delivery

The delivery is included in the shares' price.

We deliver to Melbourne metropolitan area, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, Yarra Valley, Mansfield, Ballarat and Bendigo.

We will contact you regarding delivery which is scheduled for the first week of every month.

Price

Choose to be a month to month member, a 6 month member or a 12 month member. 6 and 12 months CSA members get a discount for paying in advance (5% for 6 months, 10% for a year) and a guaranteed place to be an on-going Abundance Farm member.

If you’re on holiday, we can suspend your share until your return. Please give us a month’s notice.

Monthly payments are due on the Friday prior to each delivery.