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Spotlight on Sustainability: Matt Budofsky

Exploring the feasibility of a produce CSA on Duke food points

Matt Budofsky, a senior majoring in Environmental Science and Policy, is focusing his senior thesis on the feasibility of starting a program at Duke that would allow CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) to be purchased with Food Points. Curious what a CSA is? Here is the definition from localharvest.org:"Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season."CSA's are a very valuable system for small, organic farmers because the members of the CSA pay an upfront cost at the beginning of the season, allowing the farmer to have upfront capital to buy seeds and supplies for a successful harvest. Budofsky wants to use this model to increase access to healthy food for Duke students.Erika Hansen (EH): How did you get involved in sustainable food issues and initiatives?Matt Budofsky (MB): I came to Duke from Manhattan thinking I would be a literature major. As I was studying literature, I felt like I wanted to do something more empirical and something that I could apply more easily where I would be working on a relevant problem. The day before I had to declare my major, I was running around the Washington-Duke Inn trail and thought "I like being outside", so I chose Environmental Science and Policy as my major with a Literature minor. From there, I then narrowed down my interest to sustainable food and agriculture as well as sustainable energy production and use as I started taking classes. I am currently the president of the Food for Thought organization, and doing my senior thesis on a food-related topic.EH: Tell me about your initial thoughts and research for your thesis.MB: I've done some preliminary research, interviews and discussions on an informal level to get a feel for the scope of my paper. I'm looking into the different structures of CSA's - there's a 'true' CSA where everyone has a share in a farm and you get produce based on what the farm is harvesting that week. Then there's an aggregator model, where many different farms are involved and they supply one CSA with whatever they can for that week and distribute it among the shareholders, which usually results in a larger member base and more produce available.EH: What are the other factors that influence this potential initiative?MB: In addition to looking into different models, I’m also looking into student interest on campus. There's also a lot of logistics that would go on behind the scenes to make this initiative work, including input from future conversations with Duke Dining regarding finances, such as what percentage they would take as overhead. There's also a big difference between using a Duke card to pay for the CSA or if it should be an option presented at the beginning of the year to dedicate 'x' amount of money to participating in a fresh produce CSA. I'm looking to reach out to Bon Appetit and work regionally to see if there are other schools doing similar programs and, if there are, how they worked out the details of their program.EH: Are there any roadblocks to this idea being implemented?MB: There are definitely roadblocks to implementation. My gut says that it's a really cool idea, and I’d love to see this happen, but I don't know that Duke Dining would be ready to jump on board with it. In recent years they have run on a deficit, so I know that now they are very careful about expenditures and costs. I really don't know what to expect, and my expectations will be changed as I have more conversations. I know that if this is to become a reality it will take effort – it's not going to be a smooth process!EH: How can Duke students help make this idea a reality?MB: The biggest help I could get from students would be to express interest in this idea and create a strong demand for fresh food. This initiative would mostly be marketed toward students living on Central Campus, and possibly to freshmen on East Campus as a way to foster community by using the food in the community kitchens in the dorms. If administrators saw a student interest in local, sustainable, organic, and fair trade food, then they would be much more willing to respond positively and look for options like this to match demand. In the end, these foods are tastier, which is one thing people really care about!This interview is part of the Spotlight on Sustainability series put on by Students for Sustainable Living. For more information about sustainability at Duke, please visit www.sustainability.duke.edu.