Community supported agriculture (CSA): from price to appreciation - collective learning in the logic of living well

Abstract

The social reproduction of family farming and the maintenance of farming families with quality
of life in the countryside are pressing challenges and are directly related to the economic viability
of their productive activities. People in the city are looking for more and more healthy food,
and when groups of people are formed to support agroecological farmers, forming a partnership,
then it can be a CSA. It is a form of associative or solidarity economy, which goes beyond
the logic of the market, where products have no price. Relations of affection, trust, care, mutual
support are established. The farmer works quietly knowing that all of his production is being
financed, his work will be remunerated, and he will practically have no losses in production,
because he reaps exactly what is disposed of. The co-farmers (people who support the farmer)
know where their food comes from, how it is produced and live in a supportive, learning group.
At CSA Aldeia do Altiplano, which since 2015 provides food for 20 families, it is possible to
identify new bases for a society that seeks for living well.