A September 30 Canadian Press report by Brett Bundale describes growing interest in community-supported food programs. Producers and organizations that operate community‑supported agriculture and fishery programs say customers are turning to prepaid and flexible local‑purchase options. Vancouver fishery Skipper Otto, which links about 70 independent harvesters with consumers, told Castanet / The Canadian Press its members buy prepaid credit and choose seafood across the season, giving harvesters commitments before they depart, according to CEO Sonia Strobel.
Canadian Organic Growers director Karen Murchison described similar demand for local farms and said many programs now offer flexible prepaid accounts and online selection instead of fixed weekly vegetable boxes. Upfront payments are reported to provide working capital for producers.
Quebec farmer Frédéric Thériault said members of the Family Farmers Network had seen customer numbers rise about 10 per cent compared with last year. That figure concerns the Quebec network, not all Canadian farms.
