La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture

Grant Recipient La Cosecha

Photograph by Hyunju Blemel

La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture

La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a food access program that operates within the Agri-Cultura Network, a farmer-owned cooperative located in Albuquerque’s South Valley. The CSA provides subsidized and sponsored produce for more than 300 qualified low-income families each week. The organization’s goal is to create a healthier food system, build self-sufficiency among local farmers and families, and improve community health by increasing access to healthy, affordable, locally grown food and community-based nutrition education.

“This program changes lives. Families come out healthier and they really like it,” says Helga Garza, La Cosecha Executive Director. “This grant from the Albuquerque Community Foundation means that we can continue to develop, maintain, and strengthen community driven markets. With community investment in the program, we continue to connect farmers and community together to change food systems.”

The network consists of six South Valley farms, all of which use organic practices. The CSA also sources from over 30 out-of-network farms across New Mexico. La Cosecha began in 2012 when network farmers noticed that their produce was not being distributed in the South Valley. This was a matter of concern, because the low-income South Valley is considered a food desert, defined as an area with a lack of access to healthy food and lack of resources to pay for it. The farmers wanted to feed their friends and neighbors and support the neighborhood economy.

Participants in the La Cosecha CSA make a commitment for 20 weeks during the growing season of June through late October/early November to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally by farmers using organic methods. The organization provides a bilingual newsletter in the weekly farm shares with healthy recipes, storage tips and nutrition information. Referral clinics at partner sites reach families and children who either have a need for food access or have been diagnosed with chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

As a community food hub, La Cosecha also offers bilingual online cooking demonstrations called Cooking For Health, featuring physicians who discuss food as medicine and how smart eating can have an impact on cholesterol levels and diabetes, and also addresses food intolerances and allergies. CSA members also share dishes they prepare using CSA ingredients, and what these dishes and recipes mean to them. Pre-pandemic, classes were presented live with chefs preparing three dishes. The organization changed course, now featuring participants who share their stories and recipes because surveys suggested that regular people preparing simple, nourishing food was a more realistic way to influence habits.

“Farmers need to have markets for their food. La Cosecha purchases the food, giving them a steady market. During the peak of the season, we distribute more than 3000 pounds of food each week, all grown in New Mexico. That’s extraordinary economic activity going into farms to boost their capacity. Supporting nutrition is also an important piece in our long-term goal of New Mexico becoming a sustainable food state, meaning that community supports farmers growing in healthy ways,” says Garza.

Grant Recipient: La Cosecha

Photograph by Hyunju Blemel