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Kindling is a founding member and long-time partner of Manchester Veg People, a unique co-operative of local organic growers and food businesses. They are recruiting for two new co-op workers to work with them at this exciting stage of their development. Read on for the job details.....

Manchester Veg People are recruiting!

Our aim is to bring growers and buyers together to get as much fresh, seasonal food of the highest possible quality from our local fields onto plates across Greater Manchester.

We’ve had loads of interest from other groups around the UK in our FarmStart initiative, so we’re holding a day on 30^th May to pass on everything we know about setting up and running a farm business incubator! It’s open to farmers and non-farmers alike who are interested in setting up a similar programme in their region.

FarmStart Abbey Leys is the UK’s first such initiative, based on inspiring and successful models in Canada and the US, and aims to make the route into organic farming easier.

The Land Army connects busy local veg growers with city dwellers who want to get their hands dirty, with regular missions to help out organic farmers close to the city.  

Participant Rachel Vei shares her Land Army experiences with us…

FarmStart Abbey Leys is a one-of-a-kind initiative, offering a low-risk environment in which new organic growers can develop and test their growing skills, business plans and marketing strategies, plus access a training programme, certified organic land, packing and tool storage facilities, and peer support. It’s based at Abbey Leys organic farm, near Knutsford in Cheshire.

While many of you know Kindling through our Greater Manchester projects, you may not yet know about our aim to establish the Kindling Farm, Social Enterprise Hub, and Centre for Social Change (see Our Vision).

Stockport is part of the Sustainable Food Cities Network, and through Feeding Stockport, was one of only 6 cities/regions in the UK chosen to receive funding through the programme.

As we embark on our third year of FarmStart-ing, things are looking pretty exciting. We’ve got a brand new co-ordinator in the form of experienced organic grower Alex Firman; four new TestCroppers; and some major improvements to the programme that’ll not only benefit our FarmStarters but also the other projects nationally that are supporting new farmers and growers.

Make the most of an amazing training opportunity this Spring. Learn how to set up an organic food growing business from the growers themselves.

There is no better way to start your farming year than at the Oxford Real Farming Conference. The event, held in the first week of this month, consisted of two inspiring and energising days of socialising and hearing from all sorts of speakers involved in the UK’s new agricultural renaissance.

The Oxford Real Farming Conference coincided with the famous Oxford Farming Conference and aimed to counterbalance the latter’s free market ethos and ‘sustainable intensification’ agenda.