A typical CSA box containing a mix of produce from a single farm's weekly harvest. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC)
The basic structure of a CSA
A Community-Supported Agriculture subscription is an agreement between a household and a farm. The household pays an agreed amount before the growing season begins, and in return receives a regular share of the farm's harvest — usually weekly — over the duration of the season.
The defining characteristic is timing: money changes hands before any produce is grown or harvested. This gives the farm working capital at a point in the year when expenses are highest and income from sales is zero. In exchange, the member gets produce at a cost that is usually lower than the equivalent retail value, and has a direct relationship with the source of their food.
The CSA model originated in Japan in the 1960s under the name teikei, meaning "partnership" or "cooperation." It spread to North America in the 1980s and has been a fixture of small-scale farming in Canada since the early 1990s. The structure has remained largely unchanged: upfront payment, shared risk, regular box delivery.
Payment and timing
Most Canadian farms require full payment before the season begins. For a summer CSA in Ontario, this typically means paying in January through March for a season starting in June. The total cost varies considerably by farm, box size, and province, but a standard full-share subscription for one household commonly runs between $500 and $800 for a full summer season.
Some farms offer payment in two or three installments. A smaller number accept a work-share arrangement, where the member contributes a set number of hours on the farm each season in partial exchange for their box. These arrangements are typically disclosed in the farm's registration materials.
Half shares and flex options
Farms serving urban areas often offer half-share subscriptions aimed at single-person households or couples. These deliver every other week rather than weekly, or provide a smaller volume on the same weekly schedule. The per-unit cost for a half-share is usually slightly higher than the equivalent portion of a full-share price.
What comes in the box
The contents of a CSA box are determined by what the farm harvests that week — not by what the member requests. This is one of the more significant differences between a CSA and purchasing at a farmers market or buying a subscription from a grocery aggregator.
Early in the season, boxes in most Canadian provinces contain greens, radishes, peas, and early brassicas. By midsummer they shift to tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and beans. Fall shares typically include root vegetables, winter squash, potatoes, onions, and storage crops.
A packed CSA box ready for member pickup. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC)
Add-ons and customization
Many farms offer add-on items that can be purchased alongside the base subscription: eggs from the farm's hens, honey, locally-grown garlic, or preserves. These are usually listed separately and ordered in advance. Customization of the base box itself — removing disliked items or substituting others — is uncommon, though some larger farms offer this through an online member portal.
Pickup and delivery
Two primary distribution models are used by Canadian CSA farms. The first is direct farm pickup, where members drive to the property on a set day each week. The second uses urban pickup points — a location in a city or town where multiple members collect their boxes, often a parking lot, community building, or the back of a partnered business.
Home delivery is offered by some farms in dense urban areas, but typically carries a delivery surcharge. Farms in the Greater Vancouver Area, Greater Toronto Area, and Montreal tend to have the most established urban pickup networks.
The shared risk aspect
When a farm experiences drought, flooding, pest pressure, or crop failure, CSA members absorb part of that impact. A bad season results in lighter boxes or the absence of certain crops. Conversely, when conditions are unusually favorable, members often receive extra items not originally advertised in the share description.
This is different from how most food retail works, and it is the reason some people decline to join CSAs. For those comfortable with variability, the model provides both an economic advantage and a more direct relationship with how food production actually works.
Finding a CSA farm
For information on locating CSA farms by province, see the guide on finding a local farm share in Canada. For information on seasonal produce expectations, see what to expect each season in your CSA box.
Updated May 2026. Information reflects general CSA practices across Canada. Details vary by farm.