Community Supported Agriculture UK Network
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqMLs6G-aV0
Exciting news for schemes like CropShare all over the UK…. the UK community supported agriculture (CSA) movement has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise £19,140 to support its work encouraging farmers and growers to work in partnership with their local communities.
The funds will give the new CSA Network UK, which CropShare helped to launch in December 2013, the chance to support and promote CSA schemes across the country, building new relationships between farmers and consumers.
Axel and Helen of the CropShare Crew with fellow East of England CSAs in Dec 2013…planning and plotting about the CSA UK Network! Photo: CSA UK
The crowd funding campaign is hosted by Buzzbnk – www.buzzbnk.org/CSANetwork. Please donate if you can! The campaign allows backers to support the network at a variety of levels and receive a huge range of rewards donated by CSA projects themselves. Rewards include free vegetable boxes, tours of successful CSA projects and even a year mentoring support from CSA expert Nikki Giles, who set up Flintshare Community Agriculture. Here at Cambridge CropShare we pledged a free entry to our 2014 harvest party!
The CSA Network UK needs to reach its first target of £6,500 within 60 days or it receives none of the funds that have been pledged.
Among our friends at the Stroud CSA tour last Dec at the CSA Network launch conference
CSA is an innovative approach that encourages farmers and growers to build new relationships with consumers, sharing the risks, responsibilities and rewards of food production. Widely known in France, Japan and the USA, CSA has been growing in popularity in the UK over the past five years, in large part due a Big Lottery funded project that saw the number of CSA projects increase from a handful to over 100 trading initiatives across the country. CSA often involves members committing for a whole season to buy a “share” of produce.
The Network now needs to mobilise funds from CSA members and supporters to create a new website with tools that will make it easier for existing CSA groups to connect with each other, access resources and promote their work. The campaign will also fund CSA projects to run events in their regions that will help other CSA projects get off the ground and bring new members on board.
Cambridge CropShare is a founder member of the CSA Network.
Rachel Harries, coordinator of the CSA Network UK commented: “There is a huge amount of knowledge held by the people who have successfully set up CSA projects across the UK, but most farmers and growers in CSA projects are really busy producing food and don’t have much time to help other people set up new projects. Our new network aims to make it easier for people to find and join a CSA, provide tools to existing CSAs to share their expertise and give real support to farmers, growers and communities who want to create new schemes.”
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