This is the website of Ås’ own Community Supported Agriculture farm (andelslandbruk or andelsgård in Norwegian).
It’s great to be with people working on the plots and seeing (and eating) the result of the work 🙂 Makes me eat a great variety of veggies as well. – Member 2022
Dysterjordet CSA farm can be found right in the centre of Ås, just a few minutes walk from the train station. We’ve been operating since 2015 on land rented from Dyster gård (Dyster farm). Our field is certified for organic production from Norway’s certification body, Debio. 2023 is our 9th growing season.
We produce a diversity of vegetables both on the open field and in our large poly-tunnel (green house). There are a number of other areas on the field that we share; a kids’ patch, an herb spiral, and a picnic area where we cook and warm ourselves near a fire, recently upgraded with a member-made clay pizza oven! Those with a vegetable-share (share holders) harvest their own vegetables each week, following the instructions given on a harvest message which is sent out by the manager each week.
Our andelslandbruk/CSA farm is based on three important concepts:
- Shared harvest, shared risk
- Dialogue between the farmer and the consumers/users
- Open and transparent economy
We have had between 130 and 200 members each year. We open registration for new members each spring. When registration opens, we post on our website, our facebook page, and on our instagram. We close registration when we are full. Nor sure if we are currently taking new members? Contact our manager, Victoria at andelslandbruk@dysterjordet.no
I loved my CSA experience here… a lot! and have immortalized it in a Thesis.
So great work! thanks for facilitating 2 years of fresh veggies 🙂 – Sydney, member in 2019 & 2020.
As a shareholder (andelshaver) in Dysterjordet andelslandbruk SA, you have the right to a share of the vegetable production and you harvest your own veggies according to weekly harvest messages. Adult members contribute to the vegetable cultivation on organized labor days (dugnad) for a minimum of 6 hours a year, while the day-to-day operations are taken care of by a gardener and a manager. Each share is personal and covers vegetables for one person. All people who will be eating veggies from our field must have paid for a vegetable share. When you become a shareholder, it is important to note that you do not pay for a given quantity of products but share both the profit and the risk of production. Therefore, you can get more or less vegetables than expected depending on the season. Our prices for 2023 are outlined below.
- Adults (including students):
- vegetable-share 2950kr
- sign-up fee 300kr (sign-up fee is one time only)
- 6 volunteer hours per year
- Elderly (over 75 yrs):
- 1500kr
- some volunteer hours as suits the individual
- Teens (13-17 years):
- vegetable-share 1400kr
- sign-up fee 150kr (sign-up fee is one time only)
- no required volunteer hours
- Kids (5-12 years):
- vegetable-share 700kr
- no sign-up fee
- no requires volunteer hours
We also offer memberships for those who live in the same household as someone who has a full vegetable-share. These are called household memberships! A household membership does not include the right to vegetables, but allows family members to join the share-holder on the field and participate in social events or courses.
- Household members: no vegetables/potatoes/herbs, just access to our social events and courses, plus the right to vote at general meetings:
- 150kr for students and teens
- 300kr for adults
- all kids 12 and under are free.
- A work-share: Application-based!
- 1500kr
- 26 volunteer hours
We do consider people’s needs and economic situations, please email Victoria (andelslandbruk@dysterjordet.no) to discuss options if you have issues affording our prices.
We have calculated the cost of veggies per week based on our previous seasons having been 20 weeks long. Each vegetable-share was worth 148kr per week; which is a great price for a lot of organic vegetables!
We offer also some inclusive offers:
- Harvest Help, run by the Good Friend System: People with disabilities or physical issues that stop or hinder them from harvesting may apply to get a ‘Good Friend’ from within our membership to assist them to harvest each week.
- Buddy system: for any new members, or returning if needed, we offer you a Buddy for the season, one of our more experienced members to help you understand the field and harvesting.
Take a look around this website, and use google translate when you need to, or just email Victoria for any specific questions, andelslandbruk@dysterjordet.no.
PS: Some other important documents you might like to sit down and go through are to be found here. Many of our official documents are in Norwegian, but use google translate when you need! We hope all this helps you to consider being a member.