First vegetable bundles delivered
Community supported agriculture initiative proves fruitful
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 14, 2016
INUVIK
The first batches of community supported agriculture (CSA) bundles are out, and by all accounts are a hit.
Caroline Kaufman, left, and Raven Firth show off the produce in the first community bundle at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse on July 5. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
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"We're definitely very excited to have them started," said Inuvik Community Greenhouse co-ordinator Rosalind Crump. "We have a waiting list."
Community supported agriculture initiatives typically work by pre-selling produce on a weekly basis to a list of customers, ensuring a steady source of income for the farmer and fresh food for the consumer. The greenhouse's initiative, by contrast, does not require customers to buy a whole season's worth of bundles up front. The first week, Crump said they sold a dozen bundles, although they hope to grow that number to 15 as the season goes on. The first batch were priced at $20 although the goal is to sell them for $30 each as more vegetables reach maturity, she said.
"It's a good way to get fresh vegetables out into the community, and hopefully bring more people into the greenhouse as well," Crump said. "We're hoping it will grow as our yields continue to grow."
This is the first year the greenhouse is running a CSA program, but it is only one of several initiatives
aimed at making the organization a viable business venture in addition to the community role it fulfills.
"Being part of the CSA is a really awesome way to support local agriculture," said Crump. "Having a commercial aspect is a great way to stay sustainable, because we know how many bundles we have to sell each week, and we harvest only that much."
The greenhouse also sells vegetables and bedding plants at the Arctic Market each week, something Crump says will continue to happen, despite the CSA being up and running.
While the early bundles will have more leafy greens, herbs, and spinach, Crump said there should be broccoli and cabbage, as well as beets and carrots, as the season progresses. There are also some highly anticipated cucumbers in the works.
"It's really fun for us working at the greenhouse, to see these vegetables going out into different homes with different families," she said. "We're already getting feedback from people and it has been very positive."
