CSA participants also highlight the environmental benefits of buying local food.

“There is an increasing awareness around where food comes from,” said Star Black, who volunteers her time signing up new members for the Williamsburg CSA. “People really think about their carbon footprint and responsibly grown food.”

Buying local also has its nutritional benefits. 

“Fruits and vegetables are their most nutritious when they are ripe,” said Ameet Maturu, founder of the Intuitive Cook where he advises his clients on diet, nutrition, and lifestyle. “Produce shipped long distances is picked days before they are ripe so they do not spoil. The fruit you get from a CSA is at your home days after it is picked.”

Maturu said that produce found in supermarkets can also lose nutrients the longer they sit on store shelves extending further the time between harvest and consumption.

While space and time constraints are among the reasons CSA participants cite for not growing their own fresh produce, the CSA model does have its drawbacks.

There are a limited number of farms willing to participate in the partnerships.  Both Janda and Kuonen said their farmers are at full capacity, meaning the number of available spots for potential shareholders are limited.