Community Supported Agriculture in Quèbec: Le Vallon des Sources

By Maggie Hope-Simpson

Le Vallon des Sources, owned by Michel Massuard and Monique Laroche, is a breathtaking 45 hectare farm which sweeps up the side of a secluded valley at the border of the Outaouais-Laurentides, in Ripon, Quebec. It is called "Le Vallon des Sources" because of the clear springs that issue from the edge of the clay at the base of the hill. Michel and Monique purchased the farm 2 years ago "for its beauty and tranquility". As practitioners of organic agriculture for more than 20 years, they also recognized that the pristine environment in which the farm was situated, combined with the farm's sandy loam soils, house, barns and other structures in good repair, and proximity to markets, made it ideally suited to organic vegetable production.

Michel and Monique obtained full certification for the farm with Garantie Bio in 2003. To fulfill their goal of making a living from small-scale organic vegetable production, they embraced the marketing system known as "community supported agriculture" (CSA). In simplest terms, CSA is a partnership between agricultural producers and consumers. Partners or "shareholders" pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season, which helps to meet a farms' operating expenses for the upcoming season. In return, partners receive a portion of the farm's produce each week throughout the growing season. CSA is growing rapidly in Quebec, largely as a result of the promotion and coordination provided by Équiterre, a Quebec-based organization dedicated to sustainable community development. The level of participation in CSA in Quebec has grown from 1 farm and 25 partner families in 1995 to approximately 70 farms and 4,500 partner families in 2003.

According to Michel, one of the benefits of CSA is a high level of satisfaction for the partners. "The partners are very happy with the service. They are getting a large variety, more than 50 different kinds, of certified organic fruits and vegetables, fresh and locally grown, at an affordable price. The vegetables are extremely fresh-usually picked the same day-so the flavour and quality is exceptional. The price of the produce is close to that of conventional produce. Most partners like the fact that they don't know the composition of the basket until it arrives- "c'est une boîte à surprise!". They also like learning about new vegetables that they have never tried before". There are also philosophical reasons for choosing CSA. "CSA provides a direct link between the farmer and the consumer. The link is not just at the point of sale, but starts when you seed the vegetables and remains throughout the season. For our partners, knowing where and how their food is grown is very important...". Michel also believes that CSA provides organic farmers who choose not to embrace large-scale, specialized organic production and mass distribution, with a viable alternative: "CSA allows you to practice agriculture on a scale which is very humane. With CSA, one can live on four or five hectares in vegetables. When you get bigger than this, you get too far away from your customers, and your vegetables".

There are, however, certain challenges in growing for CSA. "One of the biggest challenges is providing variety - in types of vegetables, and days to maturity - both of which are essential for the baskets. It is easy to grow two or three different types of vegetables- the crop management and harvesting is much easier. But if you grow 30 or 50 different types, it is much more difficult. In this business, it could make sense to work with other farms, so that each one can specialize in certain vegetables". The other challenge is the amount of planning and organization required to ensure a continuous supply. "You have to decide in advance what kind and amounts of vegetables you want to make available each week, and make up calendars for seeding and harvest. Then there is the coordination of the deliveries". This year, Michel plans to expand both the partner base and distribution system: "Last year, we had 30 families and only one point de chute (pick-up point). This year we would like to have 150 families, and four or five points des chute in different locations which are not so far for the partners". For Le Vallon des Sources, communication with partners (both current and prospective) has proved to be vital, and Michel notes that the internet (email and farm website, http://www.vallondessources.com) has been a useful communication and marketing tool.

Before considering CSA, growers need to ask themselves a more basic question: "do I have what it takes to succeed in organic farming?" Michel suggests that the first prerequisite is having a good base of knowledge and experience in "agriculture biologique" (organic agriculture). "You need to know the growing requirements of the vegetables, how to work with the soil and maintain fertility, and how to use organic methods to control weeds, pests, and diseases... It is also often necessary to know how to work as a mechanic, and how to design and make tools which are appropriate for the scale, and for the job". He adds that soil and climate are additional factors that you can't control, but are very important for growing vegetables. "The light soil which we have here warms up quickly and is very easy to work. Also, because the vegetables grow quickly, they are very succulent and have wonderful flavour". Last but not least, Michel states "this requires a tremendous amount of time, energy, and work. You have to love what you are doing, you have to be passionate about it, in order to make it work".


Maggie Hope-Simpson is a consultant for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. Please send comments or questions by phone to 902-893-7256 or by email to oacc@nsac.ca.


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