The campaign to create a more sustainable and fair food system in the North West has taken a big step forward thanks to a funding award from the Prince's Countryside Trust.
An award of £50,000 to the Kindling Trust will support the development of FarmStart Manchester, the UK's only organic incubator farm.
The Kindling Trust launched FarmStart Manchester in March 2013 in partnership with Abbey Leys Farm, Knutsford. FarmStart is an incubator farm for new growers to trial their farming business ideas in a low-risk setting. Our growers harvested and sold their first crops in June 2013.
Over three years, the funding will allow Kindling to establish 10 new FarmStart businesses and provide comprehensive training in organic food production for 90 individuals.
Chris Walsh, director of the Kindling Trust, said:
“We are really excited to have secured this funding. FarmStart is a new innovation for the UK, and this will allow us to refine and develop the model. In the longer term we would like to move to a situation where every part of Greater Manchester has an incubator farm nearby, and we can help bring the people of Greater Manchester closer to the production of the food we eat.
Abbey Leys Farm is just 15 miles to the south-west of Manchester, with great motorway access to the city. The land is flat and fertile and already certified organic.
New Growers join FarmStart as TestCroppers, and benefit from access to tble, they can choose to expand on to further ¼ acre sections each year for 4 years, when they should be ready to move onto their own farms.
New Growers may work on their own or with friends or family, and depending on what they grow, could expect to spend anything from a few hours to a couple of days each week tending their crops.
The Prince’s Countryside Fund is a charity which strives to secure a sustainable future for the British countryside and wider rural economy. This grant is part of an investment of over £575,000 in 12 valuable rural projects across the UK. Funding was awarded to projects and organisations which address five key issues facing rural Britain: low farming incomes, rural isolation, lack of access to training, decline of rural communities and disconnect with the countryside.