The ‘Farm to Fork Revolution’ is Ready to Roll

Then we put in Banana, Plantain, Peppermint, Pomegranate, Yellow Yam, Renta Yam, Sweet Potatoes, Red Peas, Pineapples, Pumpkin, Corn, Okra, Sorrel, Blackberries, Pak Choi, Callaloo, Eggplant and Carrots.

Introducing you to the Community Supported Agriculture(CSA)Movement

The primary means by which we will market our produce is via a modified Community Supported Agriculture group.  This is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the farmer and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land. In the 1960s, groups of consumers and farmers in Europe formed cooperative partnerships to fund farming and pay the full costs of ecologically sound and socially equitable agriculture.  The idea took root in the United States sometime in 1984.  The concept has been quietly growing in Jamaica since about 2007.

The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund the budget of a growing cycle in order to get quality foods. There is a Shared Risk And Reward Agreement, i.e. that the consumers receive what the farmer grows even with the vagaries of seasonal growing. There is weekly delivery, to a central location, of vegetables, fruits and ground provisions.

If you currently buy foodstuff at a local market or supermarket, are not concerned about whether or not they were sprayed with toxic pesticides or grown with chemical fertilizers, willing to put the true cost of food to your healthcare budget, then this may not be an option for you. But if you are concerned about the quality of what you eat, read on.

Advantages for You the Consumer

• Food that has been grown WITHOUT synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
• The food is ultra-fresh as it comes to you within 24-hours of being reaped
• Food that is reasonably priced
• You will receive information on the health benefits of the food items
• Exposure to recipes to maintain the flavor and nutrients of your food
• The opportunity to learn more about how food is grown and to visit the farm

Advantages for Farmers

• Marketing activities are completed before the production planning cycle
• A guaranteed market ensures that no food is wasted
• Able to focus on growing the crops that the CSA members want
• Weekly payment helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Knowing the people who eat the food we grow enables feedback and improvement

Details for the Asante Adonai Modified CSA

• Delivery will begin on Friday, April 8, 2011
• The produce that we will start with include:

Callaloo Corn          Pumpkin         Green Bananas

Okra          Renta Yam    Hot Peppers       Eggplant

Cho-cho         Teas – Peppermint and Comfrey       Plantain

From our sister Organic Farm – Zionites, we will include:

Exotic Lettuce Mix       Parsley – Flat leafed and Curly

Cilantro        Green Bananas        Dasheen        Coco

Other items will be added as they become available.

• We will post our Newsletter/Blog on Wednesday mornings
• You can place your orders via email or telephone up to Thursday afternoon
• Your ‘food basket’ will be delivered on FRIDAYS  to 21 Windsor Avenue, Kingston 5 (Porter Centre For Knowledge) Kingston 5 for you to pick-up
• You may also make other purchases at our Farmers Market, which will offer all organically grown produce which will be staged weekly at the same location on Fridays between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

We know that this model is not for everyone. Most people want the cheapest food NOW and the most expensive medical care later… but if you see your food as your medicine and your medicine as your food…welcome on board.

We invite you to partner with us “from farm to fork”.