Words by Smiley Team
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In the green hills of Somerset, a small team of organic farmers seeks funding to expand their eco-friendly vegetable box scheme, delivering nutritious food to local people by bicycle.
The four growers who make up the Community Interest Company (CIC), Middle Ground Growers, came together to purchase 16 acres of land in Bath. They hope to transform it into an agro-ecological farm run following a cooperative business model.
Co-founder Hamish Evans explains: “I got into this due to two motivations: grief and hope - grief because of the social and ecological crisis we’re in; and hope, through the permaculture and organic farms I’ve worked on in the UK and internationally that offer a tangible solution, besides the day-today joy of growing.”
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Since Hamish first started supplying a few shops with vegetables in 2019, they’ve grown from delivering 70 boxes to supplying many local businesses and households.
With additional funding, they wish to provide 400 households and local restaurants with fresh, nutritious produce. To deliver these, they will harness solar energy from panels installed around the farm that will power electric bicycles.
But that’s not all. The small CIC also has a social focus, operating with a horizontal business structure run by the four co-directors, part-time workers, trainees and volunteers.
“As well as a veg delivery scheme it’s a social ecosystem,” adds Hamish. “We connect people to the land and the original source of their food.”
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Throughout the year they run community events, such as harvest celebrations, that put people back in touch with natural means of food production. Local residents can also visit their orchards to learn how to make cider and learn about a more sustainable way of eating.
Starting at a very small scale, the project is a brilliant story of progression and positivity. During the lockdowns, interest soared with a heightened demand for local food.
Today their crowdfunder could help create a new farm on the 16-acre plot, which they will cultivate in tandem with their original site.
“We’re envisaging a productive market garden with a barn to host events, a new orchard with rows of fruit trees; longer-term crops and more,” Hamish explains.
Alongside their food production, the team supports the restoration of wetlands and other local projects.
To help the Middle Ground Growers realise this dream, donate to their crowdfunder.
Could you make this happen in your community? Be part of the change. Or, if you, or someone you know, has launched a crowdfunding social enterprise project, email [email protected].
