Offer a CSA Program at Your Workplace
Kentucky Farm Share Coalition connects workplaces to local, organic foods and family farms. We partner with employers to offer CSA as a way to improve employee well-being and satisfaction while supporting the local food system.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a subscription-based model of buying food from a local farm. Members sign up ahead of the season and then receive a share of the farm's harvest regularly throughout the growing season.
What is CSA?
About Workplace CSA Vouchers
KY Farm Share Coalition supports Kentucky workplaces in promoting employee wellness through a CSA voucher program as an innovative benefit.
CSA vouchers are a financial incentive (usually $200+ per voucher) that employers offer toward the total share cost of a 20+ week CSA program. Vouchers are proven to increase access to fresh foods, promote long-term employee health, and build more sustainable local food systems
For every $1 invested in CSA vouchers, employers save $2.47 on diet-related medical expenses.
Research from the University of Kentucky shows that CSA participants cook more at home, eat less processed food, and increase their daily fruit and vegetable consumption.
How to start a CSA voucher program:
1
Determine your budget
Employer decides how many CSA vouchers (usually $200+ per employee) they want to offer at a worksite. Some employers choose to offer CSA vouchers as an open benefit and others decide to start with a specific number, typically using their wellness funds.
2
Finalize your details with KYFSC
KY Farm Share Coalition assists each employer in selecting a partner farm, confirming dates for CSA sign-ups, sending program communication, coordinating a CSA farmer meet and greet, and creating an employer program landing page.
4
Employees receive food
Employees can choose a pick-up that is close to work or home. If there is an on-site pick-up KY Farm Share Coalition works with employers to identify a temperature-controlled space that is centrally-located for employees to collect their share each week.
3
Launch CSA sign ups
Most employers host a CSA farmer meet and greet to kick off sign-ups, launch a 1-week interest period for CSA vouchers, and then offer a 2-week sign-up period to use a voucher towards a share.
Let's talk!
We know that no two workplaces are the same and want to create a CSA program tailored to your organization's needs. Get in touch with the Kentucky Farm Share Coalition staff today to learn more about how you can promote fresh foods at your workplace.
Kentucky Farm Share Coalition (KYFSC) is a program managed by the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK). OAK is a nonprofit organization founded by farmers for farmers. OAK works to advance organic regenerative agriculture to improve the health of the environment and our communities. For more information on the resources provided by OAK for farmers, visit the website www.oak-ky.org.