Welcome to the Waiheke Island CSA website!
This homepage is the place to come for latest news but first here are a few useful links to direct you where you might need to go first.
- “What is a CSA?”
- “Tell me about the Waiheke CSA model! How will it work?”
- “I want to join up to the Waiheke CSA and become a subscriber”
- “I want to know some other stuff please…” - well check out the links on the right my good friend although please be patient as there’s a fair bit under construction at the moment and its more of an indication of what will be here in the coming weeks.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
MARCH 7 2010: NEWSLETTER #4:
Apologies for such a long delay since the last website update but hopefully Sue Connor’s informative emails to subscribers throughout February have kept everyone in the loop!
Two main things to cover here:
1. CROP UPDATE AND HARVEST TOTALS TO DATE:
As at March 1, 2010 the amount of food to come out the ground at Te Matuku is as follows:
Beans 150kg
Courgettes 154kg
Marrow 122kg
Potato 33kg
Beetroot 88kg
Cucumbers 220kg
Corn 75kg
That’s a big ol’ barrow of food right there so high-fives all round to Claire and the guys who’ve helped to feed us this summer.
In other crop news, Claire has planted leeks and more beetroot last week.
PLANTING HELP NEEDED!: On Tuesday March 9 (early) a team plans to go out to Te Matuku to complete netting and plant more crops led by Claire.
WEEDING HELP NEEDED!: Brian, Robin, Jennifer and Jerry (thanks guys!) picked and weeded on Friday March 5. Another weeding effort is planned for Friday March 12 led by Brian.
If you are available to help with either of these sessions please email info@waihekecsa.org.nz
Meeting: held Monday March 1st, 7.30pm, Community Education Seminar Room
Present: 37 people, including CSA Trustee/Management members – Brian, Sue, Louise, Rob, Graeme, Richard, Claire, (grower), and Glenda (minutes)
Louise opened the meeting with a welcome to everyone.
Sue spoke of the need to remember the CSA project is at a crossroads and thanked those who have supported the undertaking in so many ways.
Brian reminded us it has been a 6 month pilot project. There have been problems and some issues remain still to be resolved (e.g. shortage of Trustees and pressure on volunteer help.) The crop harvest on the whole has been great. Before progresing further we need to establish a sound financial base. We need also to resolve the issue of volunteers versus paid assistance.
Sue gave a financial summary. We have more weekly outgoings than weekly income and this cannot continue. There are 8 people waiting to join but a cap has been placed on subscriptions because of lack of crop available. Harvest received has been valued at $212 per full member over the first 8 weeks.
Brian spoke of the 3 options in front of CSA;
1. ‘Run away’ Option: – an option none of the Trustees or Management committee want.
2. ”Pause Option : - pausing (between April and August) will provide the opportunity to secure the required number of Trustees and extra Management Committee members needed. It will also allow time to (a) access funding and improve our financial position and (b) attend to urgent short and long term planning. Current members will receive produce free through to September when the next membership round starts with new crops. The produce will be harvested from crops to be planted during autumn. A feasibility study is to be actioned immediately. The study will examine this and other options.
3. The ‘Opportunity’ (Putiki Rd) Option: - this option includes the Pause Option mentioned above but also involves the staged development of two sections of land in Putiki Rd. Its implementation will be dependent on the outcome of the feasibility study and will be considered at the next public meeting of members in April (date to be announced).
Claire said there has been over half a tonne of crops harvested. The beetroot is at the top end of nutrient density value and the nutrient value of other crops is improving. She thanked all the people who have supported her and the project and is enthusiastic about the future. Te Matuku is the second biggest ‘nutrient dense’ farming project in NZ.
Sue said we must remember the vision of Waiheke CSA which is to produce items other than vegetables. In the long term this could include eggs and meat.
Brian said we want to retain Claire’s services and this is the reason for the immediate start to the feasibility study.
Questions and Comment. The following is a brief synopsis.
- CSA workers must avoid burn-out over winter in attempting to achieve full value for members.
- General comment was that members expected a 2–3 year period before reaching full monetary return for subscriptions paid.
- Many people are in CSA because they wish to support locally grown food. They are also aware of the threats of climate change and peak oil. Members have a strong desire to reduce food miles. There is also a strong belief that the nutrient quality of produce received is more important than the monetary value.
- CSA is seen as an investment in the future, not just a weekly produce box.
- Various other suggestions were made e.g. extending the subscription period to one year; hiring a project manager; and having the feasibility study include consideration of paid labour costs.
- There appears strong support for not wanting to pause the project or to stop paying Claire. We need to retain the farming capacity. But it was pointed out that we are not covering costs and our money is soon to run out. We were reminded again that the project has to be sustainable.
Claire stressed that members must say what they want grown or Trustees and Management committee will need to make the decision.
Feasibility Study. Members are invited to provide input into this study. Meetings will be held for this purpose, and the first one is planned for the evening of Monday March 15 . Changes at short notice may occur because of the need for flexibility in the process, but you will be kept informed of dates, times and venues. If you wish to take part please contact Sue at info@waihekecsa.org.nz
See also below a note to get people thinking about what a CSA is and can be*
To end, a quote from our Minutes’ Secretary: “What a wonderful meeting. Such enthusiasm is contagious, don’t you think? “
—–
* The following abridged extract is from a recent online conversation about the nature of money. The extract refers to a CSA farm (producing a range of plant and animal products) in the San Francisco Bay area of the USA. It gives an interesting and rather different insight into how people might support a CSA operation in their community. It provides ‘food for thought’ as the Waiheke CSA engages in the feasibility study during the next few weeks.
“The shareholder-eaters commit for the year and make a deposit for their share. The food comes over a seven and half month period, but the farmer is actually supported for all twelve months. The food itself is not a commodity, because the shareholder is not paying for the food but rather [is paying] the real cost of the farmers’ living and all that it takes to grow the food. The farmer’s labor is not a commodity because there is no direct way to tie the work and winter rest to the farm income. The farmer grows virtually all the feed the animals need, uses the manure for compost to renew the soil, and then from the soil grows the food and feed. There are no imported inputs, no externalized costs. The farmer works constantly on building the fertility of the soil rather than thinking of the land as nothing more than a vehicle to produce food. Being supported by the community, the [farm] operates completely outside the market economy. ”