CSA. Community Supported Agriculture

[Stuart Polkinghorne]

I am new to the Dominican Republic, my wife and I have a farm near La Romana. At the moment we don't have the funds to move there and start working the land.
A CSA is a farm that sells shares in the corps grown, distributed weekly to homes or pick up points.
Crops of fruit and veg, herbs, eggs, milk and meats if the demand is there or if share holders want it.
I see it as a way of getting the farm working, giving families fresh organic/ free range produce at a below market prices. To known where their food comes from and how it's grown. Also to teach others farming methods with out harmful chemicals and fertilizers.
My question is.

Is there any CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) projects going in the Dominican Republic?
What is the demand for fresh organic produce, grown local?

Would love any input or comments.

[Chirimoya]

Not sure if there are any CSA projects as such but you could get in touch with Fundación Agricultura y Medio Ambiente (FAMA) in the capital who do organic certification, support organic farmers and sell their produce for advice and contacts.
Contact Dra. Andrea Brechelt or Clara Fernandez
Calle Ana Josefa Puello No. 33
Mirador Sur, Santo Domingo
829-435-8190
mercado_ecologico@yahoo.com
fama@codetel.net.do

[Stuart Polkinghorne]

Thank you for your input, I'll contact them and see what they can do for us?

[MikeFisher]

welcome to the bord, Stuart.
nice idea, keep us up to date how it is running.
a very old chemical free running plantation is the Barcelos up in Hato Mayor, they grow their ginas naturally and sell their juices even to europe, and that since decades. sorrily i do not have a contact address/e-mail/phone number of them.
maybe somebody else on the bord can fill that leak.
good luck
Mike

[donmobay]

evan though i live across the country from you...what r u going to grow?? and you might be able to get something going with the fresh farmers mkt...osale

[Stuart Polkinghorne]

We will be looking to grow as large a verity of everything. From potatoes, corn, peppers, sweet peppers, chilies, carrots, eggplant etc, and as many herds I can get my hands on. Would like to provide eggs and milk but that would be later down the track.
Was really hoping to find someone who is already doing it here (CSA)

[Hillbilly]

Headache Farms:

this country has no concept of this sort of cooperation. If you were here, it might be possible to institute, but long distance all I can see is a bunch of people claiming your land and causing you serious ownership issues in a year or two...

Also, the land, rainfall, neighboring fields, should be well studied before venturing into anything on such a scale..

Just a word of caution.

HB

[Texas Bill]

Stuart;

I'll second Hillbilly's caution remark.
If Dominicans work your land on a "crop-share" basis, eventually they'll become propriotary in their endeavor and try to claim the land as theirs, since they're producing from it.
Make sure you get a good lawyer (I'd recommend Sr Guzman of DR1) to devise a "foolproof" contract that each participant would have to sign before putting a spade to YOUR LAND. Otherwise, ou might find yourself without the land in a few years because of your good-hearted "joint use' of same.

Texas Bill

[MikeFisher]

Originally Posted by Texas Bill

Stuart;

I'll second Hillbilly's caution remark.
If Dominicans work your land on a "crop-share" basis, eventually they'll become propriotary in their endeavor and try to claim the land as theirs, since they're producing from it.
Make sure you get a good lawyer (I'd recommend Sr Guzman of DR1) to devise a "foolproof" contract that each participant would have to sign before putting a spade to YOUR LAND. Otherwise, ou might find yourself without the land in a few years because of your good-hearted "joint use' of same.

Texas Bill

i tripple that advice.
it is the first and most important point to start with.
Mike

[mountainannie]

I don't think that a lawyer or a contract will do any good. If you are planning on being an absentee landlord and letting other people come in and farm your land, you will soon find that they will have built their houses, moved in their families, built their own fences and so long land..... There is a Canadian guy in Las Terrenas who holds title to an entire barrio called Come Pan, and he waves his paper futilely in the air, saying that he is going to evict the hundreds of poor families that have come in and built on "his" land.... Possession is 9/10 of the law-- here is even shiftier--- just fence the land and put in some cattle and forget the dream until you are able to be here in person.