ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A monthlong campaign is encouraging Western North Carolina residents to sign up for Community Supported Agriculture programs as farms prepare for the growing season.

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, known as ASAP, has designated Feb. 15 through March 15 as CSA Month. The effort includes a social media campaign highlighting farmers and CSA education, online tools to help consumers find participating farms, and an in-person CSA Fair scheduled for March 12.

Community Supported Agriculture programs allow members to purchase a “share” of a farm’s harvest in advance. In return, members typically receive a weekly box of fresh produce or other farm products during the growing season. Organizers say late winter and early spring are the best times to enroll, when many farms open registration for the year.

The CSA Fair will be held from 3:30 to 6 p.m. March 12 at the YWCA of Asheville, 185 S. French Broad Ave. The event will feature farms that offer CSA pickup locations in Buncombe County, including traditional produce shares as well as specialty options such as meat and flowers.

Attendees can meet farmers, ask about growing practices and payment structures, and sign up on site or follow up later. The free event will also include local food tastings, children’s activities and farm products available for purchase.

“CSAs are one of the best ways to obtain fresh seasonal vegetables,” Daniel Pettus, of Olivette Farm, sid in a news release. “As a CSA member, you support local agriculture by helping farmers offset the yearly costs. The CSA fair is an ideal place to get to know your local farmers and decide what fits your or your families’ needs.”

Farms expected to participate as of press time include A Way of Life Farm, Blazing Star Flowers, Blue Meadow Farms, Carolina Flowers, Good Wheel Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, KT’s Orchard and Apiary, Olivette Farm, Sun Seeker Flowers, Two Stones Farm + Mill and Wild East Farm. Organizers noted the list may change before the event.

Consumers who cannot attend the fair or who are seeking a CSA outside Buncombe County can use ASAP’s online directory to compare options throughout the Appalachian Grown region, which includes Western North Carolina and bordering counties in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.

Organizers recommend that customers consider pickup times and locations, growing practices and share size when selecting a program. Some farms offer variations on the traditional CSA model, such as customizable online selections, shorter commitments or market-style shares that allow members to choose their produce each week at a farmers market.