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Re: Explain to me, please...



Dear Hilary, 
The problem with your question is that there is no "typical" CSA. Part
of what attracts people to the concept is its adaptability to different
levels of automation, size, and even products.  I think that your
comparison would be useful if you used case studies, comparing a CSA and
a "conventional" farm who produce similar products at a similar scale
(measure in volume or weight of products or $ value???).  It is a hard
comparison to make objectively, without a lot of resources or a lot of
innaccurate generalizations.  I know of CSAs that serve 8 people who are
all within a 10 mile radius and others that truck their produce 100
miles to a central pickup for urban members.  I'm sorry if this sounds
discouraging (and I hope some one else has more useful suggestions),
but  I worry that you will use numbers in a very innaccurate way, and
you would be better off figuring out a different way to compare the
global industrial food system and CSAs.  If nothing else, you may be  to
look at other people's studies about existing CSAs and comment on the
trends and "implied footprints" based on that info.  You should be able
to find the few studies out there by doing a worldcat database search at
your library.

Leslie Pelch "Former Grad Student who Know how misleading numbers can
be"
Burlington, VT



Hilary Chop wrote:
> 
> I am a fourth year Environmental Studies student, at Carleton University,
> in Ottawa, Ontario.  For my research paper I have decided to do a
> comparison.  What I am comparing is the "Ecological Footprint" of CSA with
> that of specialized, globally envisioned agricultural practices.  The
> Ecological Footprint is.... an "accounting too that enables us to estimate
> the resource consumption and waste assimilation of a defined human
> population or economy in terms of corrosponding productive land area"
> (Rees, 1996)  What I need is information on what is involved in a "typical"
> CSA farm, throughout the farm's life.  For example, what is the average
> size of a farm, how far out is it located, what type of machinery is used,
> is crop rotation a regualr practice, the impact on the soil, etc.
> 
> I would really appreciate it if anyone out there could help me out.  I am
> awaiting a reply.....
> 
> Hilary Chop
> 
> hchop@sympatico.ca


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