CSAs, also known as crop sharing or farm sharing, are a subscription-based service that allows consumers to pay a flat fee upfront for getting a share of fresh-picked produce weekly during the CSA season, which usually lasts 20 to 30 weeks.

Imported from Europe, which borrowed the idea from Chile’s co-op movement of the 1970s, the CSA was first implemented in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. There are more than 1,000 CSAs nationwide, and several of them in Kitsap County.

“I was very excited about the model,” says Rebecca Slattery, owner of Persephone Farm in Indianola, who in 1992 was the first one to start a CSA in Kitsap.

Slattery started out with about a dozen shares, and now offers 50 to 60 per year, currently in partnership with a neighbor.

While the CSA has several advantages to the farmer, it also has challenges, she says.

“The food is guaranteed to be sold. I can plan, and plant to order,” she says. In addition, the farmers get paid for a subscription either entirely in advance, or through a substantial deposit, which brings in cash flow when it’s needed the most — for buying seeds and supplies.

“Most of my costs are upfront,” she says. “Getting paid upfront is huge.”

The idea behind a CSA is that subscribers share in the risks of farming, which means if a crop fails due to bad weather, pests or other reasons, the consumers accept the fact the shares would be smaller. But Slattery doesn’t look at her CSA that way. She feels strongly her customers should get their money’s worth, so the pressure is on to make up for cold weather or other unfavorable factors.

Nikki Johanson, owner of Pheasant Fields Farm in Silverdale, also has had to scramble a few times due to failed crops because she wanted to provide the best value for her customers. Last year, after drought made the second part of the season challenging, she partnered up with the certified organic farm Abundantly Green, and this year the two are continuing the partnership to provide about 60 shares.

Johanson has offered a CSA for the past three summers. “I have a guaranteed market; the marketing is out of the way before harvest time,” she says. “The trick of it is to know how to plant and rotate things in succession so you have ongoing crops available to supply the CSA.”

Johanson sees direct selling through the CSA or the farmers markets growing in the future, as the factory farming continues to struggle. For consumers, the idea of buying locally and connecting with the growers is also becoming more appealing.

For Slattery, that connection is key for a successful farm. “It’s very gratifying, when you work as hard as we do,” she says. “I can’t imagine selling vegetables wholesale and not knowing where they go… That connection is the most beneficial part, that’s what makes it fun for me.”

Although CSA subscriptions mean a guaranteed income for farmers, they usually don’t limit themselves to selling that way. Both Slattery and Johanson say it’s important to diversify, so they sell at farmers markets. Slattery also sells to local restaurants, and owns a floral design business. Johanson does tours on her farm, and other programs such as summer cams, egg hunts and various fall events including a corn maze and a haunted farm.

“It’s good to diversify, it’s a good business strategy,” Slattery says.

She finds that a CSA also requires extra skills. “You have to be very organized and do a lot of planning,” she says. “It’s a lot more planning that selling at a farmers market.”

Farmers new to CSAs can find a lot of support from fellow farmers, who are usually willing to share what they know. This year, Slattery has three full-time apprentices from different parts of the country learning about organic agriculture; she pays them a stipend and provides room and board. Johanson, too, says she is eager to share with anyone wanting to know, and recommends that anyone interested in starting a CSA to visit other farms and observe their operations, from planning and harvesting to boxing and refrigerating.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for the entrepreneur who wants to get into agriculture,” she says. “A CSA is a good business approach but the farmer needs to do the homework and know how it works.”.