Community-supported agriculture (CSA; sometimes known as community-shared agriculture) is an alternative, locally based economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA also refers to a particular network, or association of individuals, who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. The term CSA is mostly used in the U.S. and Canada, but a variety of similar production and economic sub-systems are in use worldwide.