Wellness Pathway #224
Know Your Farmer
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Who grows your food? Most of us have no idea. The food simply appears, like
magic, at the grocery store and we have to trust that it has been grown or
raised under safe conditions. Unfortunately, that trust is not always
well-founded. Contamination sneaks into the system. In addition, artificial
ingredients (including pesticides, fertilizers, preservatives, packaging, growth
hormones, and genetic modifications) have become the rule rather than the
exception.
In response to these and other problems, a movement emerged in Switzerland and
Japan during the 1960s called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). That
movement came to the United States in the 1980s and is, today, widely available
in many areas. The idea is simple: consumers interested in safe, locally grown
and raised food join together in an economic partnership with farmers seeking
stable markets for their crops and/or livestock.
In other words, it's a small scale buying club. You sign up for the year, paying
a flat fee in order to receive a weekly bag of groceries, during the growing
season, of whatever happens to be ripe that week. You get fresh, organic produce
while the farmer gets a guaranteed base income. In addition, most CSAs have
specialty items available for purchase including eggs and, in some instances,
meat.
CSAs are a win-win-win proposition. The consumer wins by getting affordable,
high-quality food that is connected to the local growing cycle. It is a delight
each week for my wife and I to discover what's ready to harvest and eat.
Surrounded by grocery-store abundance, we lose that natural rhythm. The farmer
wins by getting a productive and profitable farm, in good and bad growing years.
The farm wins by getting developed to its highest ecologic potential.
To learn more about Community Supportive Agriculture, and to find a farm near
you, visit http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/. It's a great way to improve your health,
support your community, and steward the land all at the same time. If you choose
to volunteer at the farm (not a requirement), you can even get an exercise
benefit out of the proposition.
Coaching Inquiries: Do you know the name of anyone who grows or raises the food
you eat? How could you get more connected to the rhythm of life? How could you
eat healthier food?
 To reply to this Pathway, use our
Feedback Form. To learn more about our
Wellness Coaching programs and to arrange for a complimentary wellness coaching
session, use our Contact Form or
Email Bob.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
LifeTrek Coaching International
121 Will Scarlet Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23185-5043
U.S.A.
Telephone: 757-345-3452
Fax: 772-382-3258
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