Subscription farming

Not a lot of people are aware of community supported agriculture (CSA), a new idea in farming that was introduced in the United States from Europe in the mid-1980s. The CSA concept originated in the 1960s in Switzerland and Japan, where consumers interested in safe food and farmers seeking stable markets for their crops joined together in economic partnerships.

Suzanne DeMuth of the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center says CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

Members or "share-holders" of the farm or garden, pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer’s salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty and get to enjoy the satisfaction from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.

Although CSAs take many forms, all have at their center a shared commitment to building a more local and equitable agricultural system, one that allows growers to focus on land stewardship and still maintain productive and profitable small farms.

Most CSAs offer a diversity of vegetables, fruits, and herbs in season; some provide a full array of farm produce, including shares in eggs, meat, milk, baked goods, and even firewood. Some farms offer a single commodity, or team up with others so that members receive goods on a more nearly year-round basis.

CSA is sometimes known as "subscription farming" and the two terms have been used on occasion to convey the same basic principles.

Although it is unclear whether CSA is an established or an existing system in some of the farming communities in the country today, this approach has been adapted by the Family Farm Schools (FFS) through the support of the Pampamilyang Paaralang Agricultura Inc., a non-government organization committed to establishing and promoting Family Farm Schools in the Philippines. This idea of setting up an agricultural production project to promote agriculture in the community and for training purposes of the students of the FFS was originally proposed as an entry at the 1st World Bank sponsored Market Place for Innovative Ideas or Panibagong Paraan in 2004. However, a sudden twist of events transformed the angle of "community-supported" to "corporate supported."

Intrigued by the concept and seeing the potential of the project, Dow Chemical Pacific Ltd. Ventured with the Family Farm School to set up a vegetable production project that would serve the following purposes: a) as the in-house training center that would cater to the development of the students’ practical skills in agricultural production, management, marketing and other agri-business related matters, and; b) as fund raising arm of the FFS in general, because it is hoped that it could generate enough income to eventually sustain and finance the operations of the FFS.

Dow Chemical Pacific Ltd. is supporting this project in keeping with its corporate social responsibility commitment. According to Dow Chemical country manager Carlos Lansangan, "at Dow, we aim to maintain strong relationships with our communities by interacting closely with local businesses, governments and other community groups. By maintaining ongoing dialogue with community members, we are learning how we can best contribute to improved quality-of-life in each community where we operate."

Dow officials have visited the vegetable farm to observe and learn organic farming practices, and to participate in some of the activities. Lansangan adds, "Farming for a cause makes it more enjoyable, as one momentarily escapes city life in favor of connecting with nature and with the beneficiaries.

The project site is located at Brgy. Santo Niño, just a few meters away from the Dagatan Family Farm school for Boys at Lipa City, Batangas. The vegetable production project is initially involved in organic lettuce production for several months now. Currently, the varieties being planted are Romaine, Waldmann’s Green, Lollo Rosa, Red Salad Bowl, Reines Des Glaces, and Emperor. It has a production capacity of 200 kg per week. The project has found a number of regular customers who appreciate having the lettuce delivered right at the comfort of their own homes and offices. The farm is also gearing up for organic eggplant production and several other vegetables.

What’s more interesting about the project is that most of the staff members in the farm are graduates of the Family Farm School. For instance, Arnel Magsino, an FFS alumnus and a tutor (teachers at the FFS are called tutors) serves as the project-cum-farm supervisor. According to Magsino, "this is a great way for us to apply what we have learned and to show our students that there are opportunities in agriculture. We make farming a part of the FFS curricula. We are glad that Dow made this a reality." Moreover, three of the farm hands are also alumni of FFS, while OJT students and even the first year high school students participate occasionally by scheduling their farming lessons depending on the production cycle and activities occurring at the farm.

Lansangan also believes that this arrangement – corporate supported agriculture, would be beneficial to the employees of Dow in the long run when the project is already able to produce different kinds of vegetables apart from lettuce, in keeping with the concept that a weekly veggie basket will be supplied to the employees and the company’s affiliates, ensuring them of healthy food and relieving them the hassle of buying from unsure sources. At the same time, their support would enable sons and daughters of farmers enrolled at the FFS to continue their secondary agri-education.

"I know that CSA will click and it will not surprise me if other companies join in the band wagon eventually, as we want more benefactors for the Family Farm Schools," he says.