Urgenci: International Network of Community Supported Agriculture (urgenci.net)

Abstract

The United Nations launched the Decade of Family Farming (2019–2028) in recognition of the central importance of family farming to world food security; over 90% of the world’s farms are family-operated (United Nations General Assembly, 2018). Yet today, family farms throughout the world struggle to maintain solvency. The farm share of the average dollar a consumer spends on food is at all-time lows, 14.6% in 2017 in the United States and 21% in the European Union in 2011 (De Schutter, 2019; U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] Economic Research Service, 2019). At the same time, it is challenging for consumers in many areas to obtain high quality food, with limited food access in some areas, described as food deserts. Innovative strategies to connect family farmers with local consumers are addressing these needs. Community supported agriculture (CSA) is one strategy that is growing across the globe; it is the “only model of farming in which consumers deliberately agree to share the risks and benefits with farmers” (Urgenci, n.d.i). Founded by farmers in 2006, Urgenci: International Network of Community Supported Agriculture (urgenci.net) advocates for this innovative approach to support family farms and local food sovereignty.