Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aid could use the money to join CSAs under a pilot project suggested by US Rep. James McGovern Saturday during the winter meeting of the state chapter of Northeast Organic Farming Association.

McGovern was sharing lunch with Scott Soares, commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources, and NOFA partisans when he made the suggestion, prompted by the chapter's cofounder.

The use of SNAP benefits at farmers’ markets has been expanding, but adding CSAs would give recipients another option for locally grown, often low- or no-pesticide produce.