Hello everyone. I am a graduate student at the University of Southern Maine and I am conducting a senior research project on CSA programs titled, “A Descriptive Analysis of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Programs.” My objective is to describe and analyze the CSA program in Maine. I plan to examine the views and actions of the participants, and investigate the advantages and limitations of the program from the farmers' and customers' perspectives.

I am currently looking for individuals to interview who were customers' of a Summer 2010 CSA program in Maine. The nature of the interview questions are strictly about your involvement and views of the CSA program you participated with. Here are a few examples of the questions I will be asking: (1) Why do you participate in CSA? (2) What is the CSA process from your perspective (actions and responsibilities)? (3) How much of your produce do you get from CSA versus from a store? If you want to participate I will email you a document containing approximately 25 questions to answer and it will take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Since I will email you the questions you can answer them and email the document to me at your convenience. The only requirements for being considered as an interview participant are you must be at least 18 years of age, and you must have participated as a customer in a Summer 2010 CSA program in Maine.

Your participation in this project will be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in answering questions for this research project, or have further questions, please contact me at: michael.baltos@maine.edu

Thank you very much for your time.