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Re: CSA movement in Sweden



Here's a belated welcome to our expanding family, Hans -- and gratitude that
your English is so much better than my Swedish!  <G>

Marketing the CSA concept is a challenge for most of us.  The up side of
working with "a nation of employees" is that they would probably take some
direction pretty well, probably better than a large group of entrepreneurs.
Getting an extremely diverse group of people to work together often feels like
attempting to herd cats.  Swedes are generally considered to be people who
understand the principles of cooperation.  If you're approaching a CSA from
the ideological side, don't be timid about starting with church groups, who
usually understand the advantages and pitfalls of working in committees within
a community.

And don't underestimate people.  Safe, delicious food and a clean environment
are things that almost everybody wants, so we don't have to "sell" it to them
-- just as a good organic or biodynamic farm is steered by a careful farmer
doing the right thing at the right time and letting the earth do what it wants
to do (produce life), so the best CSA group would power itself with just the
right nudge here and there by somebody who sincerely wants people to get what
they want.

And do correct me if I'm wrong, but as somebody who was raised Lutheran I seem
to remember a lot of Swedish sister-churches in that denomination, rather well
known for its practicalness and proud of it.  Take some big mesclun salads to
a Lutheran church supper or two, and don't be stingy with the edible flowers.

People who love good food and who believe that we were put here to tend God's
garden and keep it will be glad to hear about CSA.  Don't forget Synagogues
and Mosques, too.  I didn't gain a whole lot of members from my mosque visit
-- everybody had big gardens -- but did finally learn how to make a proper
tabbouleh!  I don't think this principal would be much different just because
latitude/longitude and language are a little bit different.

Just my two cents worth, not speaking for all of the USA or all of CSA-dom
either.  Good luck, and do let us know when you make progress!

Dori Green, Facilitator
Ash Grove Community Farm & Center for Sustainable Living
Community-Supported Agriculture of the Upper Susquehanna Region
Corning, NY

http://www.agrove.com