In forty degree weather Iowans huddled together, shared hand warmers and gathered to hear 11 speakers give five minute speeches about everything from community supported agriculture to Net neutrality.

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Farmigo is making the CSA (community supported agriculture) model more sustainable and scaleable, which is no easy feat considering the challenges- high subscription turnover and lower rates of new technology adoption on the farm.

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It has a nursery, a Community Supported Agriculture operation and, of course, a farmers market open on Thursdays and Saturdays with locally produced produce eggs, meats, poultry, cheese and other goodies from the area.

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So almost a decade ago, I visited a local organic farm, signed up for its CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, and started receiving a weekly basket overflowing with tall stalks of rainbow chard, dark green zucchini, deep magenta beets, and massive heads of romaine lettuce.

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The main island, Hirta, once supported Britain's most remote community, with the inhabitants surviving for centuries on the seabird population, subsistence agriculture and eating dishes such as baked puffin.

BBC: St Kilda