Farmstarts can set up pathways to support a much needed new generation of farmers, offering support, shared resources and on the job training for people wanting to create viable small farm businesses. They come in different shapes and sizes depending on various different factors including landscape, landowner, budget, vision, teachers and partners. Generally, they provide access to land, community, teaching and mentoring and business development.
They work as an integrated part of a local agroecological food system, working with partners to distribute, process and sell what they produce. Most but not all Farmstart trainees are doing horticulture. They are open to people wanting to develop diverse types of land-work and growing enterprises. See below for various links.
Latest
This July (2024) our collaborators in the East Midlands and East of England held a PING (Policy Influencers Network Group) looking at the opportunities and reasons for initiating a Farmstart programme across their region.
Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/dXcy99kTA8g
Read more about PINGS here
This work grew from the seeds of UAC’s relationship with the Public Health Team in Nottinghamshire County Council who had the rare foresight to invest their funds in a feasibility study into Farmstarts in the county. This aligns with their holistic strategy to prevent poor health and bring nutrient dense foods to those who need it across the county. They take a long term, holistic view that must be celebrated.
In early 2023 UAC won the tender to carry out the Farmstart feasibility study and commissioned four local practitioners in our UAC network to do it, bringing their professional expertise and on the ground knowledge and connections.
Members from various teams within the county council (including public health, economic development and ecology) came along to the launch of the report, to meat the research team and ask questions.
That report is now with the County Council as they decide where to take it next. Please get in touch if you’d like to view it.
Previously
In 2021 we worked with partners in Lancaster, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Sheffield, and Nottingham and offered a co-designed workshop programme, learning about successful Farmstart projects across the UK. This ongoing work is a collaboration between UAC and The Landworkers Alliance who produced the original, definitive ‘How to set up a FarmStart’ guide in 2019. This provided a template for our workshop process. The workshop content was taught by growers at Tamar Grow Local, Kindling Trust, Mach Maethlon, and OrganicLea. The workshops followed the LWA guide and looked in depth at:
- Feasibility study process
- Models and foundational steps (national and international case studies)
- Training and progression
- Costing, funding, and local support
- A Farmstart visit.
- Securing future funding for next steps / implementation
We visited the Kindling Trust’s Woodbank site in September 2021: many of us were meeting in person for the first time after Covid lockdown.
Early in 2022, each of the new northern farmstarts developed their ideas and their feasibility process. Lancaster continued to develop its plans, whilst Middlesbrough launched its Farmstart in Spring 2022 under the expert teaching of Catherine at Barefoot Kitchen, Supported by Joe at Middlesbrough Environment City. Sheffield has made great progress on a new site, but Nottingham has found it difficult to secure a site.
There is both need and interest in establishing Farmstarts among our partners in the Midlands and East regions. In 2023 we were commissioned to undertake a feasibility study for Nottinghamshire County Council, looking into the opportunities for Farmstarts to support food security and wellbeing across the county. Further opportunities to develop this work in Nottinghamshire and the wider east/midlands region are pending.
If you would like to be involved in a regional Farmstart initiative, please get in touch.