What is CISA?

Bardwell Farm is a proud member of CISA!

So many people have asked me what CISA is and actually does. Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) strengthens farms and engages the community to build the local food economy.
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CISA is a non-profit organization. They began their work more than 20 years ago, and thousands of people in our region have contributed to their success and impact. More than 250 farms participate in their programs, and the number of residents who are committed to supporting local agriculture grows every day. Their Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown® program, the longest-running agricultural buy-local campaign in the country, connects farmers and the community, improving farm business viability and enhancing the quality of life for residents across the region. Additional programs include Senior FarmShare, technical assistance for farms and food businesses, and research and support for local food and farm businesses of all kinds, including processors, distributors, and producers of value-added products like jams, cheeses, and pickles.

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Recent initiatives include CISA’s Emergency Farm Fund, significant expansion of their work in Hampden County, and support for the creation of the PVGrows Community Investment Fund, a project of the collaborative PVGrows Network.

Guided by a new Strategic Plan, in 2015-2017 CISA will strengthen it's work by...

• Strengthening the network of farmers and other businesses in the local food economy
• Building staff capacity and skills in working across, race, class and other differences to ensure that CISA’s programs reflects the needs of all members of the community
• Helping define how local agriculture can play a positive role in stemming the impacts of climate change
• Supporting the adoption of more sustainable labor and environmental practices throughout the local food economy

CISA is successful only because of the people they have inspired and those who have inspired them. Please join us as we deepen our connections to each other and create a community that is economically and environmentally healthy for our children and our children’s children.

Related:

• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
• CISA, Bardwell Farm

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