Community Supported Agriculture
Benefits
- Nutritious fresh local food delivered to you!
- Learn about new types of produce and what grows well in our climate.
- Meet others in the community who are interested in fresh and local food.
- Creates a sense of social responsibility and stewardship of local land.
- Keeps food dollars in the community, creates jobs, and contributes to maintenance and establishment of regional food production.
- Farmers are guaranteed a market for their produce so they can invest their time and energy farming rather than looking for buyers.
- Puts the "farmer face on food" and increases understanding of how, where and by whom our food is grown.
Supporting Local Sustainable Agriculture
A CSA or "Community Supported Agriculture" program consists of a group of individuals who pledge their support to local farmers and the farm market through a subscription to purchase seasonal local produce. Subscribers pay for the produce in advance, which provides the farmers the ability to market their crops during the off season and focus on farming during the growing season. They are also better able to plan their crops with the knowledge that a portion of what they grow is already sold. The CSA @ ODU program is a partnership between ODU and the 5pts Farm Market. This partnership brings a variety of fresh, local produce to ODU and its surrounding community. Produce is sourced from multiple farmers across the state and region, which cushions the subscribers against the effects of drought conditions, plant disease and pests that might otherwise affect local produce supplies.
How it Works
Every Thursday afternoon the CSA pick-up will be held in the Broderick Dining COmmons entrance on 49th Street from 4:00PM-6:00PM. The CSA will be conducted "market-style" which means produce is not prepackaged. Instead, 5pts Farm Market will lay out baskets of the week's vegetables. Members bring their own bags and fill them to ensure their own degree of personal choice is met (aka, size, color, shape, firmness).
Once a season, Aramark will host a social during the pick-up. This will be an opportunity to mingle with other customers, see a cooking demonstration, or receive cooking tips from the Aramark Chefs and 5Points Market.
Want to Join?
Click the button below to submit your application.