Community Supported Agriculture – Empowering farmers to grow affordable local food

Stroud Community Agriculture is a CSA near Stroud

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) connects the local community to the land-workers growing their food. It is a brilliant scheme created to bring people closer to the land, bring transparency, resiliency, and sustainability back into our food systems. There is a direct connection between the farmer and the community which helps people to understand the intricacies of food production and the joys, as well of struggles of land-workers. As a member of a CSA you enable your farmers to make a living from tending to the land and growing your food. It also means children and members can be in contact with how their food grows and experience this in different seasons and weather conditions, it makes it real.

Stroud Community Agriculture feeds a community of 330 individuals and families. We farm on 40 acres across 3 sites and provide fresh biodynamic veggies and meat all year round. We keep a herd of traditional Hereford cattle and employ 4 full time staff members. We aim to take care of our soil life, increase biodiversity on our fields and pastures, encourage wildlife and educate people on the extreme importance of sustainable agriculture in the current times.

Being a CSA allows us to be in direct contact with our members – almost all of them come to the farm weekly to collect their vegetable share, buy meat as well local eggs and fruit. Our members get involved on volunteering days, farm events such as the seasonal festivals, barn dance and camping weekends. Everyone is encouraged to get their hands dirty every once in a while, help us feed the cows or even bring their building and maintenance skills to the farm for different ongoing projects. We aim to be completely transparent with our members in terms of how the farm is run and how things are going.

As a member of Stroud Community Agriculture, you can enjoy fresh, seasonal veggies with no food miles, and at an affordable price. We have a generous pot for bursaries to make sure no one is excluded due to lower income. Our members are always welcome on the farm, whether for just a wander around, to stroke a cow, or to help us with mucking out. Our members are the sole reason this farm can exist – their contributions, financial and otherwise, allow the staff members to make a living doing what they’re good at – growing food and taking care of the land.

It is a tough time for land-workers – climate change, rapidly rising cost of living, the age-old culture of not paying growers and farmers a good wage not being the least of our problems. Being a CSA enables the community to be aware of these challenges and to help their local farm to function outside of the current food distribution system. It is incredibly empowering that we ourselves can make a difference to how food and farming systems are changing. By being a part of a community farm everyone can contribute to making a change and helping our land and our farmers to thrive.

Mari-Liis Nukis