Over the last 20 years, farms employing the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model have become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Each year, the farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the local community, which typically consists of a weekly selection of vegetables grown on the farm, but may also include other local farm products such as meat, flowers, cheese and fruit. A share, or "membership" is purchased for a flat fee in return for a weekly portion of produce throughout the growing season. (volunteer labour too?)
There is an important concept of a shared risk woven into the CSA model that takes the arrangement beyond the usual commercial transaction, creating a sense of community among members, and between members and farmers. When a crop fails everyone is disappointed together, but they also rejoice together when other crops are abundant. This simple idea has had a profound impact on agriculture and food consumption throughout the U.S. with tens of thousands of families joining CSAs in recent years.