When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the future of the Cannard Family Farm-whose organic vegetables supplied a single Berkeley restaurant-was looking stark. Bob Cannard built his 30-year career by rejecting organic certification in favor of his own better than organic" breed of "natural process agriculture," enriching the soil on his Green String Farm with crushed rock and compost. He and his son have long sold the fruits of their labor to the famous restaurant Chez Panisse. But in March, the stay-at-home order hit, and the restaurant closed. [Chef Alice] Waters was worried about the vulnerable situation her workers and producers were finding themselves in. She rushed to establish a subscription CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture, offering weekly food boxes that could be picked up at the shuttered restaurant, filled with goodies from her regular producers like Cannard. "I'm trying to connect our network with the people who would like to have that food in their home," she said. "Farmers are always in an uphill battle, especially ecological farmers," says Wiig of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. "We've been able to keep farm markets open as essential businesses, but crowds have decreased with people afraid to go out, and sales are down." Community Alliance was quick to jump in, becoming a "matchmaker" for producers and buyers on its website. They're also providing all kinds of information for farmers about how to start and run a CSA.