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Re: Transfer of Development Rights = CSA:



Oh Beth,
You answered the problem of real CSA in describing your current mission
statement.  " Our mission statement at the moment is to find a farming formula
that will save the farm, hopefully forever (we are looking into selling
development rights) from houses or other "ugly" buildings."  Although your
mission statement is not very measurable, I believe it is obtainable.
Furthermore, I believe it is one that you and your community can live with for
the rest of your lives.  

The sale or transfer of development rights (TDR) is the kingpin for a
community that truely supports agriculture.  To conserve open space for
agriculture, habitat and ground water recharge areas is visionary.  But it
requires a diplomacy that builds alliances and coalitions rather than "ugly
buildings" and special interests.

Again, our mission statement is:" To observe, apply and teach urban
agriculture."   Who are we going to teach?  We are as commited to teaching our
community legislature and executive branch as much as we are to teaching
developers and wannabe farmers.  Only an inclusive systems approach to CSA
will be politically correct and stand a chance of survival.  

Bainbridge Island, WA is the 6th largest city in land mass in Washington
State.  Yet the population ranks 227th out of about 250 incorporated cities in
the state.  Our history of white settlement only goes back a little over 100
years.  But in that heart beat of history, we have managed to squander and
waste enormous natural resources such as forests, salmon populations and clean
water.  Have we no shame?!

During your winter vacation find out how other communities have managed to
save open space through TDRs.  Check with your local planning department to
see what development trends are happening in your community.  Then, meet with
your city council members or county commissioners and inform them of the
resources they are about to loose forever.  Offer to help, or work with
someone who can help create a systems approach to saving open space by
concentrating populaion densities in prescribed areas of your community.  If
you don't try.  No one else will either.  Create coalitions and alliances with
every faction from the lending institutions to the consumers in your
community.   

The real challenge is much bigger than core group vs farmer run CSA.  A peach
is not its fuss.  A person is not his or her crankyness.  If we can learn to
make distinctions.  Then we can deal with the real problems of implementing
community supported agriculture rather than grapple with the gross exteriors.

I hope you are not offended by my knee jerk response to your posting.  I have
to think about something when I am outside working.  The eagles, wood peckers,
otters and insects are precious company.  But they do not respond to my
considerations.  I welcome your and anyone's critique of my thoughts.

Best regards,      

Art Biggert
Ocean Sky Farm