Community Supported Agriculture Roundtable

Alaskans all over the state are looking for local options for their food, and more and more small farmers are considering using the CSA model as a means of lessening the economic risk of farming, and encouraging interest in locally grown, fresh food. SNRAS and AFES are hosting a CSA Roundtable on Thursday, March 19, on the UAF campus to discuss ways in which the university can best serve the needs of Alaska farmers considering this model or already operating a CSA.

Alaska-based CSA operators or those planning on setting up a CSA are invited to participate in this brainstorming/planning session. The meeting agenda includes:

• presentations by participants on their farms and CSAs;

• overview of the Fairbanks Experiment Farm;

• discussion of farmers' needs and the needs of their customers;

• consideration of various options, such as creating a campus CSA as a research/teaching tool, various research directions that the university might take that are appropriate to CSAs, possible curriculum/degree focus on CSAs or similar marketing models, forming an Alaska CSA Operators' Network, and other ideas.

Please join us for this discussion!

The CSA Roundtable will be held in Fairbanks on the UAF campus, the day after the 5th Annual Sustainable Agriculture & Organic Growers' School:

Thursday, March 19
11 am to 1 pm
UAF campus, room 501 in the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) on West Ridge

ADDENDUM: the room has changed. It is now in rm. 204 Butrovich Bldg. (also on West Ridge, UAF campus.)

Lunch (a salad buffet) will be provided. Please RSVP to Deirdre Helfferich, 907.474.6923, or fynrpub@uaf.edu.