Community supported agriculture programs are proving a great way to test market products on a small scale with little capital investment – just a lot of sweat equity and passion
by DORENE COLLINS
A recent review of the 2006 Agriculture Census reveals just how much farm size is changing. In Ontario, the number of farms under 70 acres is growing (see Figure 1). In fact, the small farm movement across North America is expanding because of the increasing trend in direct-to-consumer sales. This consumer interest in buying local food directly from the farm gate or at a farmers’ market has prompted an increase of 1,477 new small farms in Ontario between 2001 and 2006 as small farm operations step up to meet the demand.