I was watching a cooking show on the TV today and it mentioned something called CSA Farming. A farmer does all the work while the local people buy shares into the farm and get baskets of food for a very nominal price. Some have it set up that local residents can help with the farming too.

Community Supported Agriculture can be a big boon to the local economic crisis. People are losing jobs and many cannot even drive long distances they need to get to the grocery stores. With all the hullabaloo of e-coli and other poisonings going on from crops grown and shipped in from over seas this concept could very well be the new future of fresh farming and locally grown produce. While local residents purchase home grown foods they also learn how to farm themselves and what goes into it. This way it is more healthy then going to the grocery store where you really don't know what is in or on your food.

Farmshare LTD, based out of CT says this is how their Farm Share works: Farm Share Ltd. works with local family farms to bring freshly harvested organic crops to your table. Our Farm Share^tm delivery service means you can participate in a CSA and support local farms without having to drive to a pick-up location. You can now enjoy weekly (in spring/summer/fall) or monthly (in winter) deliveries of organic and naturally grown produce from a small local farm directly to your door.

I remember doing something similar to this back in my early 20's in the neighborhood that I lived in. It worked slightly different then the way that it is done using the CSA method. People rented out a plot of land that was offered by a local farmer or rented out empty house lots. I have heard of it being done on the tops of city apartment buildings to empty city lots that once were dirty and dangerous.

What the farmer did in our area was put many raised gardens in the space of the lot or farmers plot. These filled, raised garden were 3 feet high by about 8 - 12 feet long and 4 feet wide. It was a very workable space for anyone. We plowed/hoed, planted and tended our own gardens. Water, mulch and organic fertilizer were available for the most part and everyone had access to them. There was a monthly fee for the plot and I assume a fee for the use of mulch, and fertilizer and water use. At the time I thought it was exorbitant, but now many years later, it is a drop in the bucket.

If you are looking for a good teen activities, this would be it. Teens usually get into this kind of thing. They have the freedom of creativity and taking ownership in what they produce. Most will even try eating these different vegetables. Aside from the creativity they also learn things like taking care of the earth and the healthy eating and lifestyle. Most teens learn by "hands on". Math, Spelling, Communication and all kinds of things they learn on paper would be more readily learned in this type of activity. Special Needs and Mentally Challenged Children and Adults would also do good with this type of activity.

The future of this nation depends on the farming of such. Farmers are having a difficult time keeping their lands and farms. The more we do this the more we loose valuable resources and keep us open to more economic downfall and the risk to our own health. 

I think we will be doing more of this in the coming years.  People are getting leary of what may be recalled because of e-coli and salmonella which comes from the supermarket.  Do we really know how  genetically engineered food will affect our bodies some years down the road?  Ask your local farmers market where they get their own produce they are selling. The reason why I say this is because one of our local farmer's market does not sell from the local area. He buys it from many states away.  I didn't know this until I asked.  I assumed because he had a local fruit and vegetable stand that he was a local farmer selling local produce.  I stopped buying from him.

We do have a pick your own farm, but the real treat is growing your own and the learning process that it includes.  Many do not have such a place to pick their own produce.  There is just something about working in a garden to release the stresses of the day.  You can grow things like Purple Tomatoes and Peppers and learn and grow Heirloom vegetables.  The creativity is amazing.