The documents and links listed below will give you plenty of information and advice on setting up and running a community farming enterprise.
Farming and communities
Making Local Food Work (MLFW) Guides from the Plunkett Foundation:
A guide to setting up and running community-owned farms (pdf download 2.7MB)
Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Community Farm shares her experiences of saving her family’s farm through community ownership.
The guide provides useful advice for who want to do something similar.
Increasing collaboration between farmers and local communities (pdf download)
Key findings of research into the benefits and barriers for farmers working with local communities and businesses.
Keeping farming local (pdf download)
A guide to creating closer links between farmers and their local networks.
Explores successful models of enterprises which foster links between farmers and local networks.
Setting up and running a community farming enterprise
Community Supported Agriculture UK
A cooperative, member-run network to support CSAs in the UK.
Finding land for growing
Links to resources to help you find land for community farming.
Training for food producers
Training providers and learning resources for sustainable food growers and producers.
Sell your produce
Websites that can help you with bringing your produce to market.
Making Local Food Work guides from the Soil Association:
A share in the harvest: CSA action manual (pdf download 1.4MB)
Comprehensive Soil Association guide on “everything you need to know” to set up a CSA.
The impact of Community Supported Agriculture (pdf download 2.2MB)
Evaluation of the impact of Community Supported Agriculture initiatives at the end of the Making Local Food Work programme.
The impact of Community Supported Agriculture – highlights (pdf download 3.5MB)
A summary of the report above with headline statistics.
Pig Ignorant? (pdf download)
Soil Association guide to small scale pig-keeping