The demand for regional products based on landraces and growing interest in biodiversity and sustainability aspects is a significant trend which will back landraces’ maintenance measures.
There is an increasing demand for diversity and quality, i.e. better taste. Taste must also be combined with an acceptable yield. This is a clear trend. There is increasing interest in the public research sector with regard to breeding for better taste, higher stress tolerance and higher regional crop diversity. The number of crop species managed by the company has increased over the past 10 years.
In basic terms, 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. Typically, 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 throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavourable weather or pests. 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.
“Agricultural production affects environmental and human health. Many consequences are borne involuntarily rather than chosen because no formal market trading takes place for ecosystem function or health attributes. These impacts, or externalities, may be quantified indirectly by assigning dollar values through a process called valuation, which informs agricultural production and policy decisions.