Rutgers’ Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program connects its Upper West Side community members to Hearty Roots, a family farm in the Hudson Valley that is part of the Just Food network. Those who purchase CSA shares pick up freshly harvested, organic vegetables from Rutgers every week from mid June to mid October. Fruit and egg shares can also be added.
Ben and Lindsey Shute, owners of Hearty Roots Farm, explained their approach when they visited Rutgers Church as our Fall speakers in 2019: “For 16 years community success has been the ultimate measure of our work. Within the farm community, this means supporting a vibrant sector with more farmers and less consolidation and reliance on technology to solve problems. More farmers allows us to employ thoughtful systems that work with our ecosystem instead of against it, and to benefit from a diversity of voices and ideas to improve our work. Farming for the community means racial and gender equity in farming, to keep all communities connected to the land and the food it produces. It means ensuring farmworkers rights and creating pathways to farm management and ownership that are not blocked by immigration status. It means connecting farmers to eaters so that there is transparency and fairness in all directions. By managing for people and community, farmers and consumers can achieve shared goals of environmentally friendly farming, justice, equity and productivity.”
For more information or to join the CSA, visit the Hearty Roots website.